William R. “Dooby” Tomkins Jr. earned his degree as a bachelor of fine arts with a concentration in painting and drawing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in May 2005.  While at UTC William became very interested in the postmodern painting practice of image appropriation.  William is also very interested in mass media imagery and its re-juxtaposition when used to create new meanings and images, due to his study of Spectacle theory during his time at UTC.  William uses oil paint in conjunction with acrylics, encaustic, and other mixed media to create a dialectic between both flat and impasto painted surfaces in his work.  William currently works in the museum field and  resides in the Greater Nashville, TN area.