Born in 1969 on Christmas day near Glasgow, Scotland. Tommy Canning from an early age displayed an outstanding artistic gift. As his talents matured, he developed a keen interest in comics with a passionate desire to become a comic book illustrator. By his late teens he was already beginning to gain recognition with certain publications. However, a visit to Rome, Italy as a young adult and subsequent awakening to the great treasures of the Catholic faith he had been raised in from childhood, changed his life and the choice of artistic subject matter from that time on.
Alongside the many influences from illustrators and painters in the world of comic books and fantasy-art, many new influences now included the great tradition of western religious art by the Great Masters, spanning from the middle ages to the nineteenth century. These artistic influences marked and formed the art direction of his work to great effect in the years that followed.
For over twenty years now, his unique art has reached many parts of the world and touched the hearts of many souls in the process. Through the striking and emotionally potent images from The Passion of Christ, to the warmth and tenderness of The Madonna and Child, Tommy Canning’s depictions of these archetypal symbols of Motherhood, Divine Mercy and the Sacraments, breathe with an atmosphere of love that is truly universal.
In recent years, his time is divided between painting and travel. When not working on painting commissions or personal projects, he travels extensively to conferences in various countries to give presentations of his sacred art.

Tommy Canning is an internationally recognised artist and illustrator with works commissioned by the SFA and FIFA, as well from private individuals around the world.