Erin Rosalie Thomas is a painter and printmaker whose practice explores emotional nuance through facial expression as a primary form of communication. Her work centres on neurodivergent femininity, examining the subtle moments where feeling and expression converge. By isolating the face from its external context, Erin creates intimate compositions inspired by everyday gestures and the relationships we form with objects and our surroundings. She invites viewers into an unbounded, voyeuristic encounter with another person's interior world, encouraging a closer engagement with the complexities of emotional experience.
Erin works from photographs she takes – the experience of the model and how much time she spends with imagery informs each work. Her oil paintings incorporate needle-felted wool, a distinctive material choice that introduces tactility into the painted surface. This interplay between paint and textile challenges traditional boundaries between viewer and artwork; while painting is often perceived as untouchable, the wool elements create a sensory tension that can feel both inviting and unsettling. Alongside painting, her multidisciplinary practice also encompasses printmaking and charcoal drawing.
Erin Rosalie Thomas graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Kingston School of Art in 2020. She has since exhibited in Oxford, Edinburgh and London, and was selected for the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2026. In 2024, she was awarded the ronapainting Prize at the Oxford Art Society Open Exhibition. She is the founder of the artist critique group Get Your Crit Together, a member of the Oxford Printmaker Co-operative, and an associate artist at Magdalen Road Studios.