On first examination, this work appears to depict a happy scene with intense cherry blossom, a BBQ, a discarded romantic bouquet and a couple cuddling under a tree. But underneath there’s also mystery (what the figures are doing is concealed by smoke and there are the worms from the title on the BBQ) and sadness.

Tomlinson's paintings are layers of meaning and cultural or art historical references, which invite multiple readings. Her paintings put the physicality of paint and surface in service to her message about the power structures within relationships. She describes her works as having two tempos. Firstly, she uses colour, humour and playful surrealness to give her work an immediate access point that draws in the viewer. Then there is a quieter creeping tempo - achieved through ambivalence, symbolism, unusual narratives, and distorted compositions - which makes the audience re-look and discover something new. Like Brecht, who used comedy as a tool for political change through making the familiar strange, Tomlinson exercises duality to stimulate conscious critical observation.

The work is oil, oil bar and oil pastel on canvas.