Eleanor Tomlinson: Yorkshire artist who created charming picture Queen and Paddington Bear backs Barnardo's campaign for foster carers
Three years after graduating from York St John University with a degree in Illustration, artist Eleanor Tomlinson shared a charming picture she had created of the Queen and Paddington Bear, inspired by the Platinum Jubilee.
Little did she know then that the piece, Jubilee Ma'amalade Tea, would go viral online, making her name known around the globe and seeing demand for her work explode. Four years on, Eleanor, who is based near South Cave, East Yorkshire, now works on a range of private and commercial commissions, producing pieces predominantly in ink and watercolour.
A recent project has also seen her collaborate with the children’s charity Barnardo’s, leading a campaign with fostered children to create art with a powerful message about home. A child comes into care every 20 minutes in the UK, and with the number of foster carers declining across the country, Barnardo’s is warning of a looming fostering crisis that it says threatens to disrupt the lives of children who need support the most.
To raise awareness of the need to recruit more foster carers, Eleanor and children in care have been taking part in the ‘Drawn to Care’ challenge, creating works of art in just 20 minutes. Each artist was given the theme - ‘what home means to me’ – and was asked to produce a piece of art in any medium or style.
"It was such a challenge only having 20 minutes,” Eleanor reflects. “So, what was I going to do in this 20 minutes that would capture home the best way it could for me? I went down the route of my art materials because I take these everywhere with me.
“My home is where I create all my artwork. I love working from home and I always have all my art materials out on my desk, so I thought to zone in and focus on this would be the perfect way for me to capture home. Home is where my art materials are. Home is me drawing and painting in my happy place.”
One five-year-old, known as Ava, drew her foster parents’ cat and dog, whilst another child, 12-year-old Matthew, captured his favourite toys, climbing ropes, food and his bed. Eleanor is donating her piece to the charity to raise money.
Brenda Farrell, Barnardo’s director of fostering, adoption, and children in care, says: “Fostering is one of the most incredible things that you can do to support a child who desperately needs it – it is rewarding, life-affirming and vital work that has been shown to improve the lives of children in care dramatically.
“The fact that a child comes into care every 20 minutes in the UK just shows the urgency here – we need more people to become foster carers if we are going to give the children we support hope for the future. The beautifully simple things children have drawn for this campaign – comfy beds, warm meals and favourite toys – show how much a loving home means to a child.”
To find out more about fostering with Barnardo’s, visit www.barnardos.org.uk/fosteringuk