Where are you painting from and what have you been doing to keep busy?

I am revisiting paintings begun long ago, as well as places to paint closer-by, which have been overlooked in my often far-flung travels. Nothing like the time a pandemic offers, to get you to dig deeper for hidden treasures.

How did you find inspiration from your surroundings for it?

It is more like the painting found its place in this moment, than that these times and place inspired the painting. Titled “Stay In”, it is a prescient – or better, an accidentally apropos – painting for these pandemic days. It was painted a couple years ago, and surprisingly, as in our current situation now, we are warned in no uncertain terms to stay put, which is very difficult for those of us with a keen eye to wider horizons.

What is one positive that has come from this experience for you?

A clean garage.

What is one of your favorite pieces in the collection from a fellow artist?

Among several really beautiful works in this collection, I was moved most by my friend Mikel Wintermantel’s painting of his dog called “The Survivor”. Bravery and deep trials are hidden beneath the veneer of a fuzzy dog in a comfy chair. It perfectly parallels our days where in many ways the world looks as inviting as always, but is in fact terribly altered, perhaps for a very long time.


Learn more about Thomas' artwork and story here.