Based in the Georgian city of Bath, England, Tom Bagshaw works as a commercial illustrator under the moniker Mostlywanted and is represented by The Central Illustration Agency. His talents are sought after by clients in fashion, advertising, editorial and publishing, and include Saatchi Saatchi, Sony, the BBC, Kraft and GQ. He has done front cover illustrations for a group of select publishing houses - Future Publishing, Scholastic and Random House to name a few.
For his personal work he has developed a highly rendered digital painting style through which he explores themes of fantasy, beauty and mysticism. 'Yokai Dreams' is his first series created for a solo show and it masterfully demonstrates all the key qualities of his work which, while dealing with very imaginative content, aims for a strong level of realism in its presentation.
The darker, creepy elements in Bagshaw's paintings are often balanced out with quirky or humorous details which are charming for the viewer to discover. While feminine beauty plays a large role in his work, the women he depicts are never frail damsels in distress. More often than not they're strong, intriguing characters, with an air of mystery to them.
Though much of his reputation was gained through commercial work it is Yokai Dreams - his first exhibition - that marks his graduation from successful illustrator to highly-skilled, original and intriguing fine artist.
