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In 2006 the Turner Prize gained it's first ever female winner. The artist who achieved this feat hails from Germany and is called is Tomma Abts. In order to carry off the Turner Prize - in the final, Tomma had to overcome three notable artists .

Namely these were - film maker Phil Collins (...not the Genesis guy...), "billboard artist" Mark Titchner & last but not least Rebecca Warren a sculptress to note. The last named was actually the favourite to win with many bookmakers.

By winning the Turner prize Tomma Abts added a cool 25,000 pounds sterling to her bank balance. However it's often said that when it comes to the Turner Prize the exposure one gets from winning is worth far more than the cash value...

What does Tomma Abts do? Well she actually paints abstract art; usually in oils or acrylics. - something of a novelty for the Turner Prize - some would say! Tomma Abts was originally selected for her solo art exhibitions at Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland, and Greengrassi, London.

The Tate Gallery has lauded her "rigorous and consistent approach to painting" .Furthermore this prestigous gallery comments on the "intimate and compelling canvases" of Tomma Abts and how she "enriches the language of abstract art"....I think they like her - a lot!

With such fullsome praise for Tomma around - it isn't difficult to see why she won the 2006 Turner Prize. As for my thoughts?...well - I think Tomma Abts is "OK" without being "KO".

Tomma seems fond of constructing her images by repeating endlessly varying geometric base shapes or elements. Hardly original - one would think however, despite my initial cynicism - I have found images by Tomma Abts to be very evocative and quite memorable.

I don't really know why - but each Tomma Abts painting measures exactly 48 x 38 cms. However I can see that this makes for more concentrated or focused artwork. Only Tomma herself knows why she opted for these exact measurements.

The titles of Tomma Abts paintings are apparently just taken from a German first name dictionary! This is how Tomma came to name one of her art works "Veeke". Well I suppose it's better than simply numbering her creations...I think.

Based on photographs of some of the prize winning work by Tomma Abts I would say that unlike previous winners of the Turner Prize - Tomma's work is pretty accessible to the general public. Furthermore the artwork of Tomma Abts could not conceivably offend even the most "dyed in the wool" and reactionary of "Mary Whitehouse" types.

In the end it's just my personal opinion but I do believe that it's entirely posible that Tomma Abts will go on to become a household name - within her own lifetime...Of course she could also disappear without trace from the media - and our minds in the blink of an eye, for precisely the same reasons.