ARTIST BIO:
​Tom was born and raised in Freeport, Illinois. He has a BA degree from Wabash College and a Masters from the University of Idaho, both in Physics. He worked as an Instrument Engineer at Steward Observatory in Tucson Arizona for four years. He taught Physics labs at Wellesley College for almost 30 years. He used Computer Aided Design software for drafting and illustrating lab manuals. 
His art education consists of two semesters of undergraduate studio art. The rest is self taught from experience, using books, and recent experiences with SWS. He returned to painting watercolors around the beginning of 2023 for relaxation and enjoyment. 
Tom has sold several of his paintings from postings on Facebook and more than a half dozen of his works are hanging in friend's houses.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
I started painting in watercolors at the beginning of 2023. I am an avid birder and nature photographer. I like to use my photographs to create paintings of birds and flowers that express the essence of the subject. A photograph captures a subject as it is, an artist creates an image of what it can be. I use my CAD skills to generate the background sketches for my paintings. Then I let my artistic skills take over. On the computer, you can erase without losing any electrons or messing up nice paper. I like experimenting with the composition of a painting by moving elements around the digital canvas before committing them to paper. Color can really make a painting pop or just sit on a page. I like how complimentary colors can interact and try to use them in my compositions.