Tommy turns his Wirral home into a work of art (From Wirral Globe)

Tommy turns his Wirral home into a work of art

10:08am Wednesday 19th September 2012 in News By Craig Manning

A WIRRAL artist who transformed his home into a canvas for his talents is exhibiting a replica of the house at the Waterfront Art Gallery in Promenade, Southport.

Tommy McHugh started creating pictures and sculptures after a double aneurism in 2001.

He is one of only three people in the world to experience artistic outpouring as the result of changes in his brain.

He has featured in many documentaries both here in the UK and abroad.

This exhibition celebrates Tommy’s extraordinary and unique artistic works. Thanks to Tommy’s landlord, Riverside, visitors get a powerful visual insight into how Tommy transformed his home into a work of art. 

Riverside’s repairs and maintenance specialists, Evolve created a partial replica of his living room, where he painted on walls, ceiling, doors and the floor.

Faces emerge from the canvases and marble, and stone sculptures become a symphony of human and animal forms and faces.

Speaking before his recent illness Tommy, from Rock Ferry, said: "The first signs of my urge to create started with speaking in rhyme and with writing poetry. 

"This developed into the need to draw on the walls of my home. At first, I would use crayons, wax, lipstick or anything I could find to make a mark.  Now I tend to focus on oil paint."

Split faces are a recurring theme throughout Tommy’s work, not only in paint but sculpture form too.
 

He said: "I need to get the pictures that form in my mind out as soon as I can, so I work very fast. 

"I'm also aware that because of my condition I may not have much time left, so I just have to get on with it."

The artworks that cover the walls and ceiling of his home are on panels and Riverside has agreed that they can be removed if he decides to move house.

Tommy’s condition has baffled neuroscientists worldwide.  His story has been broadcast as far afield as Japan and Germany.

The solo exhibition is open every day from midday-4pm until September 30.