take your own plate is a painting about empowerment, where the title addresses the act of commodifying women and suggests instead, a lover use their own plate. Primarily an abstract work, that uses colour, texture and bold sweeps of movement to engage the eye, there are just enough hints of the sushi positioned on the skin surface to unsettle.

Tomlinson's paintings are layers of meaning and cultural or art historical references, which invite multiple readings acknowledging the nuance in the discussions she initiates. Her paintings put the physicality of paint and surface in service to her message about the power structures within relationships, and, because they arise from a deeply personal experience the artist admits she often feels vulnerable and exposed during the making.

For this series of works the entire surface of the body was first painted using a thick gesso medium, applied using the artist’s fingers. Then the medium was dragged all over the panel to create a thick textured effect. Conceptually the gestural act of painting adds to the artist’s personal narrative, materially contributing to her comment on consent, ownership, and reclamation.