TOMPE returns to TAP

TOMPE (The Ontario Miniature Print Exhibition) has returned to London, Ontario. On display at the ever-valuable TAP Centre, Print London brings local printmakers and their skill to the forefront. What results is a diversity of ability and technique, of color and method, line and shape. 

Printmaking as a medium offers tactile unpredictability; no artist can fully predict the results until the print dries. There’s accessibility in the medium, as an artist can make prints with limited supplies, resources and spaces. In TOMPE 2024, there’s an underlying drive for clarity; the objective and the message of the artist must be clear to communicate in such a small format. 

Many of the prints are focused on the natural world, a world of tiny things— insects, botanicals, other small animals. These small and familiar lives relate easily in the format.

The winning exhibiting artists include Karen Fletcher, Timothy Laurin, Eric Mummery, Kurt Pammer, Brianna Tosswill, and Ann Unger.

Brianna Tosswill’s work stands out by capturing human warmth and realism. Her portraits have dimensionality and dignity, and are easy to connect to.

Eric Mummery’s prints are a winding, psychedelic spirit world of fine lines, writhing tendrils, and deep shadows. 

One decade in, TOMPE continues to elevate emerging artists while showcasing some of the best printmakers our region has to offer, and our city is richer for it. 

TOMPE 2024 will be on exhibition at the TAP Centre from August 20th to September 2nd, 2024. A virtual closing reception will be held on Zoom, Sept 5th at 7 PM.