Tom Adair

Tom Adair is redefining contemporary art by merging industrial techniques with natural themes. His CMYK paintings, achieved through a meticulous airbrush method, blur the lines between machine precision and human touch. Adair's work, influenced by his design and fashion background, explores the intersection of technology, selfhood, and nature.

How did you first come to know about ZETR?

"I first came across ZETR in late 2017, when my wife and I were building our first house together. We needed to find power points and switches but couldn’t find anything with design integrity anywhere. Then, in a stroke of good luck, I came across a flush outlet on Instagram and went down a rabbit hole until I found ZETR and got in touch with Garth.

We later met with Garth in Melbourne at our half-built home. From my understanding, we were one of the earliest residential projects to use ZETR, and we love them. We’re currently renovating our next family home and couldn’t have chosen anything else."

What drew you to collaborate with us?

"There is a nice synergy between my artwork and ZETR, as my work predominantly uses either glass neon lighting or multilayered dioramas with LEDs.

Having the ability and flexibility to connect my pieces to power in a considered and visually pleasing way makes my job much easier. Sometimes, I embed the adjustable flush switches into the framing, or, if that’s not an option, the flush outlets work well either behind or next to the artwork."

Can you describe a pivotal moment or project that influenced you as an artist?

"I had always wanted to paint with an airbrush, inspired by the late Howard Arkley. However, I found airbrushes difficult to use effectively. Eventually, I decided to take an airbrush course to learn how to use them correctly.

After completing the course and returning to my studio, I coincidentally noticed shadows dotted across a blank canvas. I quickly drew on my experience in fashion and screen printing and realised that I could use the airbrush to paint halftone dots.

This approach became a fundamental part of my practice, evolving from monotone halftones to multicoloured CMYK and eventually to the introduction of lighting and layered panels."

What does a typical day in your life look like when you're creating art?

"My days start early; I am the co-founder of a run club called Run South Yarra (RUN.SY) so 3 days a week we’re out running at 6am. If I’m not running, I’ll be at the gym at 5:30am. I find exercise the best way to start my day and always have more productive and creative days when I’ve had time to move my body and clear my mind.

After that I’m back home for an hour with the family, get our son Arkley off to daycare. Then I head to the studio from 8:30am to 5pm. When I’m in the studio it’s a mix of painting, emails, creative concepts, reading and mediation."

Looking ahead, what themes or concepts are you eager to explore in your future projects?

"Throughout my career a common thread has started to emerge, it’s a combination of perception, technology and recently I’ve been exploring what value means. These are themes I keep returning to in reading and podcasts."