Ridwan Tompkins was born in England in 1941. He trained at the Wimbledon School of art and earned a Masters Degree in Art from the Royal College in London. He taught art in England, the United States and Canada and in 1985, he accepted a position as Senior Lecturer in Art on the faculty of University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Mr. Tompkins presently resides in Canada.
Mr Tompkins has shown widely on the international stage, and his work is in many private and public collections.
His work uses soft colors and painterly brush work to create works that are figurative abstracts, often reflecting the wit, intellect, and commentary of the artist. He most often works in oil on canvas, but also produces works on paper and some graphics.