Rick Tomasi is an Italian/Irish artist living in Ely, Cambridgeshire. Since 2021 he has given his full attention to visual design. His work mainly centres around numbers, geometry, ratios and proportions. He has been described as ‘futurist’, perhaps due to having studied engineering in Italian Alps, where he was born, which also has some close links to this early 20th century movement.
He approaches each piece as a problem that needs to be solved. Once decided on a topic - it could be time, a cultural reference, a line from a book, sport - work starts with a pencil and paper, where sketches are developed, measured and balanced. This phase is the longest as tens of sketches will be done before the final pencil draft is made, which will become the artwork that others will see. Colour palettes are tested in various ways; on a computer, with pens or using tissue paper to see the effects of overlaying. From the end of 2023, Rick started to screen print (photo emulsion), as many of his works are suited to this medium. There are two things that he will assess before turning a final sketch into a fully-fledged print. Firstly, the overall balance of the piece - be it that of the lines, the colours, where the eye falls. Secondly, it is a simple question that has a 'yes/no' answer: "Is it cool?" This one question will decide if he will proceed with the idea.
He was selected as a Guest Artist 2024 with Artworks East, a professional group of contemporary East Anglian artists, becoming an elected member in 2025. This led to joining the Gainsborough's House Print Workshop in Sudbury, Suffolk. One highlight was having 'Red Chair' selected for the prestigious Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition 2025.
In December 2025 he co-founded Inkpot Gallery in the heart of Ely, showcasing his work and that of over forty other printmakers and ceramicists. The last twelve months have seen him work on commercial designs for hotels, vineyards and others, whilst he is working on a personal project: functional art. This project includes a wall clock, a boardroom/studio table, a chair and more from designs Rick has come up with. The pieces will be editioned and signed, like a print but to be used for the function they are designed for.
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