Tommy Rowe b. 1941

Tommy Rowe first became interested in sculpture when Denis Mitchell taught at his local grammar school in Penzance in 1957. A lifelong friendship and working relationship soon developed when Rowe worked for Mitchell during his school holidays, assisting with finishing bronzes. In 1959, Mitchell introduced him to Barbara Hepworth, who was able to offer Rowe a higher wage, and there he learned the skills of carving marble and working with plaster casts.

Rowe went on to study at the Bath Academy of Art in Corsham from 1960-63 under John Hoskin and John Ernest, while he continued to assist Hepworth in the holidays. At the end of his time at Corsham, he returned to Cornwall and worked for Hepworth full-time between 1963 and 1965.

From the early 1960s onwards, Rowe began producing his own work, exhibiting at the Penwith Gallery, St Ives, and Marjorie Parr Gallery, London. He worked alongside Denis Mitchell and the sculptor John Milne and spent many hours fishing along the Cornish coast – rock formations and local topography providing him with inspiration for many of his sculptures.

He is still actively sculpting, working from his home and studio in Inverness-shire, producing sculptures that continue to evoke his Cornish background.