Tom Cross was widely known to generations of art students as Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Reading University and as Principal of the School of Art (now the University College of Art) Falmouth.
Following his retirement he continued to write ,lecture and paint.He exhibited widely in Australia, the United States and the near East as well as in this Country.

One of his most important achievements was the publication of ‘Painting the Warmth of the Sun’ (first published 1984) a book about the St Ives Modernist period that helped prepare the ground for the founding of theTate Gallery in St Ives which opened in 1993. Tom Cross was well known as a painter, teacher and writer. He exhibited his work regularly after graduating from The Slade in the mid 1950s as well as holding a number of educational positions. Following retirement from Falmouth, he continued to write, lecture and paint.