An adopted Cornishman, Tom grew up mostly in Yorkshire and was educated there and at Newcastle-upon-Tyne University (BA Hons. Fine Art 1971).

Two years in Italy, initially on a Bunzl Scholarship were followed by seven living in Bath, training as a teacher in Bristol and starting out teaching art in London.

Moving to Cornwall in 1980 he worked as head of art at Mounts Bay School until the opportunity to relaunch his painting career came in 1999.

Able to take up painting again he found that, in West Cornwall, he was living in exactly the right place to do so because it's an area whose landscape and culture are second to none n the UK.