You might know Tom Whitty from his award-winning work at Network 10’s news panel show, The Project, but these days, he's selling art and jewellery via his studio, House of Tom Whitty.

Seems like a big change, right? Well, not really. It turns out that Tom has been plastering (or more accurately, spraying) rad street art around Melbourne/Naarm for the past two decades. We recently sat down for a chinwag with Tom about a very special pair of earrings that grew from a little piece of graffiti.

Hi Tom! Most people would know you from The Project, but you’ve also been an artist for the past two decades. Can you please tell us a bit about your art background? I’ve been obsessed with contemporary art, and particularly street art, since the stencil boom in the early 2000s. I remember seeing stencils popping up all over Melbourne and just being fascinated by the process. The fact that elaborate images and messages could be cut at home and then very quickly replicated out on the street over and over with often a single spray seemed like a secret superpower. I had to get involved. 

What led to your decision to leave The Project and launch your studio, House of Tom Whitty, in 2018? It was time. I’d done everything I’d wanted to do at The Project. The editorials I’d written for Waleed Aly in particular had made such an extraordinary impact. I created the successful Ban The Bag campaign, we bullied the government into providing millions of dollars of more funding for family violence services like 1800 RESPECT, and we got a bunch of celebrities (Margot Robbie, Liam Payne, Tammy Hembrow) to talk about bullying and encourage kids to speak, even if your voice shakes. Also, one time I danced with Kerri-Anne Kennerley at a Logies after party. What more was there to do, you know? 

So I quit! And when I did, I decided I didn’t need to hide my street art anymore, and actually leaned into it. I created House of Tom Whitty and instead of just putting my work on the street, I offered limited-edition hand-sprayed works on paper. The response was overwhelming. Suddenly, instead of managing a giant TV show with 50-plus staff, I was spending my days alone in a studio inhaling paint fumes and sending my paintings to collectors all over the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Tom Whitty | Australian Artist (@twhittyer)

What kind of stuff do you make and sell through your studio? It varies. For example, last year I did a mural advocating for the YES vote for a Voice to Parliament. That led to me releasing a t-shirt with the same design that was worn by the likes of Adam Goodes, Tanya Hennessy and Tommy Little. I sold $30,000 worth of tees in two weeks, and the best part was all the profits went to the Clothing The Gaps Foundation. 

Most of the time, though, I’m creating colourful, playful stencilled works on paper. During COVID I created a series called Cooped Up, which saw me release a different Australian bird each day, and they continue to be very popular. 

You recently launched a super-popular line of earrings. What’s the story behind Ivy? Ivy is a work I created in 2022. She’s a really beautiful little girl sitting on a swing. There’s something timeless and defiant about her. She was first put on the street when I was invited to a dinner party by a friend. I was told not to bring anything, so I decided to gift the hosts a small work on their back wall, which faced out onto an alleyway. I sprayed Ivy swinging from Boston Ivy (hence the name, Ivy) and despite her tiny size, people just became obsessed with her. So I released No Order Ivy, a limited series of paintings, which sold out. And I just didn’t feel done with her. The next thing I knew, I was making earrings. 

How did you actually make the earrings? I spent most of 2024 working on the design with a jewellery maker I connected with in New York. It took months of prototypes and modifications. The earrings see Ivy swinging from a cloud, and I really wanted to ensure they swung beautifully and retained the gentleness of the original work. The earrings are laser cut from stainless steel, which is eco-friendly and perfect for my wife’s sensitive ears. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Tom Whitty | Australian Artist (@twhittyer)

The first launch of the earrings sold out in 48 hours. What was your reaction to that success? Panic! I just wasn’t prepared for the response. I knew I loved the earrings and I suspected some of the collectors who buy my work would too, but suddenly I had cousins I hadn’t heard from in ages messaging me, begging me to put a pair aside for them. It was actually really lovely. 

Since then, I’ve released a second edition, and people from all over the world are wearing Ivy, this little girl who first came to be as a tiny piece of graffiti in a blue stone laneway in Fitzroy. It still blows my mind. 

What’s next for you? Well suddenly I’m a jewellery designer, I guess! I’ve been working on a collection which will be out next year. I’ve created a few new paintings which I’m so excited to show people. And I’ve also just quietly released a series of larger Ivy paintings on my website which I haven’t actually told anyone about yet, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag now!