Image: Tom Coates, ‘Homage’
Tom Coates
RP PPRBA PPNEAC RWS
RIP
May 5th 1945 – July 20th 2023
Tom died peacefully at home in my arms surrounded by his family.
Tom adored his Portrait painting from the Peoples Portraits to The Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday Celebrations, in action on Horseguards.
Tom used a variety of Mediums equally at home with all, he had the gift of working fast and keeping his sitter at ease.
He loved a challenge, one that comes to mind was the remarkable painting commissioned by Sir Christopher Ondaatje, a homage to Leonardo’s Last Supper based on the Bloomsbury Group amongst others, George Bernard Shaw as Christ and Virgina Woolf as Mary Magdalene.
He loved demonstrating playing to a crowd, telling yarns, unbeknown to his sitters putting horns on their head when it was failing and eliminating them as it progressed.
One commission he narrowly missed being got shot at as he was recording a shoot standing in the firing line, he was saved by the game keeper!
He was painting for an Exhibition at the Mall raising money for the ENO, painting in situ but also joining in the with the tenors, the rehearsal came to a halt when the producer shouted get that man off, he was jettisoned
under the stage!
He was very proud to be a member of the portrait society his legacy remains world wide especially with all the family portraits large and small.
– Mary Jackson HONRWS NEAC
