A new set of postcards are now available which showcase the thousands of digital images that are available on VADS and free for educational use.

The new publicity material includes images from some of the new collections that are available online in 2011 – from a handbag constructed using milk bottle tops from the Museum of Design in Plastics at Arts University College at Bournemouth, to a 1950s painting of Lots Road Power Station by British artist John Minton from the Royal College of Art Collection, and from a 1960s evening gown from the Woolmark Company Archive at London College of Fashion, to an image from the archives at University College Falmouth by former Principal of Falmouth School of Art, Tom Cross.

The publicity material is available freely to universities, colleges, schools and libraries across the UK. Contact us on info@vads.ac.uk or 01252 892723 to request copies.

You can also download the poster directly from the VADS website, at: vads.ac.uk/publicity

A collection of images by painter and former Principal of Falmouth School of Art, Tom Cross, has been digitised and made available online via the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS). The collection was kindly donated to University College Falmouth by his widow Pat Cross who is keen to ensure the legacy of Tom’s work continues and inspires students and artists alike, following his death in 2009.

Tuart Forest II by Tom Cross, 1999, from the Tom Cross Archive at University College Falmouth © Estate of Tom Cross.

Whilst in the role of Principal from 1976 to 1987, Tom Cross produced many paintings and drawings inspired by Cornwall’s landscapes and seascapes. He felt it was important for students to be taught by practising artists and invited many key characters from the St. Ives art scene to teach at the College. Prior to his time at Falmouth, Tom lived and worked all around the country and abroad, and was influenced by a range of popular styles including French Modernism and Russian Constructivism, making him a key British twentieth century artist.

Blue jug and oysters by Tom Cross, 1991, from the Tom Cross Archive at University College Falmouth © Estate of Tom Cross.

University College Falmouth acquired the Tom Cross Archive in 2010. The archive provides a personal account of the life and work of the artist and former Principal through sketchbooks, diary entries, news-cuttings and exhibition catalogues.

Sketch for Calamansac Wood by Tom Cross, 1987, from the Tom Cross Archive at University College Falmouth © Estate of Tom Cross.

Following the donation of the archive, Pat Cross also donated a substantial collection of Tom’s slides of paintings and drawings, which the University College has uploaded into its database ‘The Image Space’ for learning, teaching and research at University College Falmouth. Out of this collection, Pat has also kindly donated a selection of images for public access via VADS, as she was keen to share the prolific work of her late husband with a wider audience. Pat and the Image Collections Co-ordinator from University College Falmouth made the selection together, based on works which Pat thought were key in Tom’s career and which showed a cross section of the range of work from different periods.

To view images from the Tom Cross Archive on VADS, please see:
http://www.vads.ac.uk/collections/TCA

A case study on the digitisation of the collection at University College Falmouth has also been made available on the JISC-funded Look-here! project website at:
http://www.vads.ac.uk/lookhere/casestudies

Doorway in Oman by Tom Cross, 1996, from the Tom Cross Archive at University College Falmouth © Estate of Tom Cross.