A young woman, eyes down, sits on a picnic rug that matches the gingham fabric of her dress: so blended in fact, she’s become an object or site for sitting and eating. Her legs, positioned in the centre of the canvas are wide apart, aligned with the weave of the blanket, focussing the viewer’s gaze on her vagina, rather than the empty beach. A smoking seagull stalks behind, hungrily viewing the unpeeled orange, which is the only food item on the menu.

Tomlinson's paintings are layers of deep personal meaning and cultural or art historical references, which invite multiple readings acknowledging the nuance in the discussions she initiates. Here she references the picnics of the Impressionists and challenges the depiction of women in them, making us question the aggressive seagull that lurks behind, as potentially patriarchal symbol.

The artist’s process includes digital collage from primary and secondary sources, which she writes into and sketches over. This screen-based beginning is then scaled up and playfully allowed to shift, as the composition and material textures start to work together on the canvas. The thick brightly coloured impasto paint deliberately creates an intense experience that draws the viewer in, so they may become absorbed in her darker messages.