About Me
Tom was born in New York. From the age of six he spent eight years in an English boarding school (which he loved; not a sad story!), and has lived most of his life in Ireland as his family moved to Dublin when he was a small boy. He has always had an interest in art, drama, and music and when he is not painting he spends his time watching films, reading, or getting together with his musician friends to sing and play music. He often hikes through Wicklow or heads into the city with his camera, to get inspiration for his original oil paintings.
He spent many years working as a picture framer in Dublin, London and New Jersey before opening his own framing business in Dublin in 2001. Things went well until 2009 when the recession forced him to close the doors of his business and to find work elsewhere. Framing helped to train his eye to appreciate well structured composition, colour co-ordination and a general understanding of aesthetics.
Creative Process
'The further into a painting I go, the harder I find it to put down my brushes and to take a break. As I put paint onto the canvas I love to watch the shapes and shadows form, sometimes by design and even more excitingly, by accident. I often remove paint from the canvas when not happy with my progress. I then take a moment and a deep breath and carry on. The colourful shapes begin to emerge from the shadows and dark areas that are prevalent in my work. I love deep contrasts between light and shade.'
Discovering Painting
Tom loved art at school but it wasn't until 2012 that he began to paint and so discovered his passion. By the summer of 2015 Tom had reached a standard whereby he decided it was time to exhibit his work. Recognition of his talent and developing technique was confirmed when the painting "His Kingdom" was accepted by the Royal Hibernian Academy for inclusion in their 2016 RHA Annual Exhibition.