About

Elaine Thomas trained as an art teacher in Bath and gained an honours degree through the University of Bristol.  She believes that art inspires in many ways every day, and has put this belief into practice both in her work as a teacher and through involvement with charities in many national and international children’s art projects.

For the ‘Angels in Art’ project, children from many schools worked together to create wonderful exhibitions of artwork to raise money for the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.  Elaine gave a series of illustrated lectures accompanying the project, exploring depictions of angel imagery throughout the history of art.  The money raised continues to provide the hospital’s wonderful Play Department with art materials, and all the young people involved created inspirational work in support of this very special cause.

Elaine was the first United Kingdom representative for the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF), organising the participation of UK schools in ChildArt 2000 in Washington, D.C., which was attended by delegations from eighty-six countries.  She went on to organise the UK’s involvement in two further festivals in Washington, giving illustrated talks and art lessons to hundreds of young artists from around the globe and speaking to an international audience of politicians and artists on the National Mall.

For a further ICAF exhibition in Munich, Germany, coinciding with the FIFA World Cup, Elaine worked with British school children to create a decorated figurine which toured Germany alongside figurines created by the children of other countries.  At the festival in Munich, Elaine worked with young artists from the many countries involved to create an enormous flag, which was flown from Olympia Tower in Munich’s Olympia Park.  On one of the huge sections of the flag, the children painted a beautiful angel.  This particular angel flew very high indeed!

Elaine is also an honorary member of the Hilliard Society of Miniaturist Painters, where she helped to establish the first awards for young artists’ miniature painting in Britain.  These awards were organised by Elaine for ten years, attracting entrants from all over the world.

Elaine has been involved in many other voluntary creative projects both as an artist and an art teacher.  She is a firm believer in the idea that one life touches many, and that creativity can inspire and unite in remarkable ways.