Tom Carment was born in Sydney in 1954. He studied for one year at Julian Ashton Art School in 1973. Tom is a painter of landscapes, portraits, and still lifes, and is also a writer. His pictures have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions since the 1970s, and his stories and essays have been published nationally. During the 1980s, he lived overseas for four years in Africa (Zimbabwe and Zambia) and in France, returning to Sydney in 1988.
Tom has been represented by King Street Gallery since 1993. With his most recent solo exhibition ‘The Long Way Round’ in October 2023.
Tom’s portraits have been selected for the Archibald Prize twelve times, and his landscapes for the Wynne Prize eight times. His works are held by the Art Gallery of NSW, City of Melbourne Art & Heritage Collection, NSW State Parliament, State Library of NSW, Kedumba Drawing Collection, Macquarie Group Collection and many others.
Tom was the winner of the 2014 NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize, the 2008 Gallipoli Art Prize and the 2005 Mosman Art Prize. Over one hundred of Tom’s works were shown at the 2014 Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial at the Art Gallery of NSW. In 2008 the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery held a survey of his work entitled, People, Paddocks, Coastlines.
From 2004-06 Tom worked on a commission for the City of Melbourne to document in words, paintings and drawings the construction of Council House 2 – the ‘greenest’ office building in Australia.
Tom’s work is a reportage on his life – the external environment through his landscapes, the internal environment and friendships through his still lifes and portraits. Tom’s pictures are usually small in scale and notable for their sensitive interpretation of light. Nearly all of his works are painted and drawn from life.
Tom’s published books include Days and Nights in Africa (1985), Seven Walks – Cape Leeuwin to Bundeena (2014) and Womerah Lane – Lives and Landscapes (October 2019).
Tom currently resides in Sydney, NSW.
To view Tom’s archive please visit his website
Artist photo courtesy Karl Schwerdtfeger
This is the uncut version of Tom Carment's 2019 interview with Maria Stoljar, edited for release in 2022 given COVID-19 restrictions prevented an in person interview before Tom's exhibition titled 'Two Years in South Australia'.
Follow artist Tom Carment as he draws his home streets of Darlinghurst, Sydney. Drawing out: Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial 2014 21 Nov 2014 – 26 Jan 2015
A standard day in the life of Tom Carment this 5 min video shows Tom packing, painting and then packing up after a day in Rushcutters Bay park.
Maria Stoljar interviewed award-winning artist and writer Tom Carment for episode 78 of the Talking with Painters podcast in the lead up to his solo show with King Street Gallery on William in October 2019. It coincided with the launch of his book 'Womerah Lane: Lives and Landscapes'.
2023
The Long Way Round King Street Gallery on William, Sydney
2022
Two Years in South Australia King Street Gallery on William, Sydney
2021
Leaving Murrays Lane – Watercolours 2019-21 King Street Gallery on William, Sydney (Online Exhibition)
2019
Away from home King Street Gallery on William, Sydney
2017
New paintings – old habits King Street Gallery on William, Sydney
2016
600 days – Landscape and Still Life King Street Gallery on William
2014
New paintings and works on paper King Street Gallery on William
2011
Places I’ve been Damien Minton Gallery, Sydney
2009
Damien Minton Gallery
2008
People, Paddocks, Coastlines Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, NSW
2007
Depot Gallery, Sydney
2006
Council House 2, Melbourne
2005
Depot Gallery
2003
Depot Gallery
2000
King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney
1998
King Street Gallery on Burton
1997
Landscapes King Street Gallery on Burton
Friends, Family, Places King Street Gallery on Burton
1995
King Street Gallery on Burton
1993
King Street Gallery on Burton
1991
Julie Green Gallery, Sydney
1989
Landscapes Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
Portraits Robin Gibson Gallery
1988
Robin Gibson Gallery
1987
Galerie Cannibal Pierce, Paris
1985
Mori Gallery, Sydney
1983
Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
1980
Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
1978
38 Oxford Street, Sydney
1976
Nicholson Street Gallery, Sydney
2023
Salon des Refusés S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize, MLC Croydon
2022
75 Years of the Mosman Art Prize, Sydney
2021
The Archibald Prize Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Sydney
The Wynne Prize AGNSW
Dobell Drawing Prize National Art School, Sydney
2020
King School Art Prize Kings School, Sydney
Salon des Refusés S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2019
The Wynne Prize AGNSW
The Archibald Prize AGNSW
Sir John Sulman Prize AGNSW
Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize PLC
Inside/ Outside King Street Gallery on William, Sydney
Dobell Drawing Prize National Art School
Tattersall’s Landscape Prize Tattersalls Club, Brisbane, Qld
2018
Bohemian Harbour, the Artists of Lavender Bay Museum of Sydney
Mosman Art Prize finalist exhibition Mosman Art Gallery, Mosman
The Art of Friendship Gallery Lane Cove, Sydney NSW
An Empire of Things Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Sydney
Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize PLC, Sydney
Salon des Refusés S.H. Ervin Gallery
The Horse, curated by Noel McKenna, Darren Knight Gallery
Eutick Memorial Still Life Award Wollongong, NSW
2017
Coffs Harbour Still Life Award Coffs Harbour Regional Art Gallery
NSW Parliament Plein Air Art Prize Parliament House, Sydney
Paddington Art Prize Sydney
EMSLA Still Life Award Wollongong
Mosman Art Prize Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
Artist Profile Australasian Painters Orange Regional Gallery, NSW
Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing PLC, Sydney
Salon des Refusés S.H. Ervin Gallery
Self Portraits, King Street Gallery on William, Sydney
Tattersall’s Landscape Prize Tattersalls Club
2016
Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Regional Gallery & Art Museum, Sydney
Paddington Art Prize, Sydney
Kings School Art Prize Sydney
Private Lives S.H. Ervin Gallery
Salon des Refusés S.H. Ervin Gallery
2015
The Drawn Line Adelaide Perry Gallery, PLC, Sydney
Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing PLC
The Piano has been Drinking [Not Me] Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW
Salon des Refusés S.H. Ervin Gallery
Tattersall’s Landscape Prize Tattersalls Club
Mosman Art Prize Mosman Regional Gallery and Art Museum
The Archibald Prize AGNSW
Sir John Sulman Prize AGNSW
2014
Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial Exhibition AGNSW
Salon des Refusés S.H. Ervin Gallery
The Wynne Prize AGNSW
NSW Parliament Plein Air Art Prize [winner] Parliament House, Sydney
Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize PLC, Sydney
Utzon’s Opera House S.H. Ervin Gallery
2013
Tattersall’s Landscape Prize Tattersalls Club
Nocturne Damien Minton Gallery, Sydney
Middle Head Mosman Gallery, Sydney
Mosman Art Prize Mosman Gallery, Sydney
Eternity Damien Minton Gallery
2012
University and Schools/ Union Club, Sydney
Salon des Refusés S.H. Ervin Gallery
Dobell Drawing Prize AGNSW
NSW Parliament Plein Air Art Prize Sydney
Tattersall’s Landscape Prize Tattersalls Club
Melbourne Art Fair Damien Minton Gallery
Rick Amor Small Drawing Prize Ballarat Regional Gallery [acquired for collection]
Five Bells Damien Minton Gallery
Artbank
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Ballarat Regional Art Gallery
Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris
Broken Hill Regional Gallery
City of Melbourne Art and Heritage Collection
Geelong College
Hawkesbury Regional Art Gallery
Kedumba Drawing Collection
Macquarie Group Collection
Maitland Regional Art Gallery
Maritime Union of Australia
Mosman Regional Art Gallery
National Gallery of Australia
Shoalhaven Regional Art Gallery
State Library of New South Wales
State Parliament of New South Wales
Qantas
Waverley Council
Westmead Hospital
Wollongong City Art Gallery
Wollongong University
The Sydney Morning Herald
12 June 2020
Autumns of change: seven Australian writers reflect by Liam Pieper
The Sydney Morning Herald
28 February 2020
Plein Air by Susan Wyndham - BOOK REVIEW Womerah Lane by Tom Carment
Australian Book Review pg. 14
January - February 2020
Transformational gifts to the foundation by Anne Ryan
Foundation Newsletter 27, AGNSW Publication
January 2016
Tom Carment paints Australia on the move by Nick Galvin
Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum
12 December 2014
Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum
14 November 2014
