Plein Air Painting with the Chestnut Group on 9/11

Friday, September 11, 2009, proved to be a spectacular day for painting en plein air with the Chestnut Group. Tommy Thompson participated in the wet paint party with several other painters on a beautiful farm off Southall Road near Leiper's Fork, TN. The 250-acre farm offered numerous vistas to capture on canvas. We found horses, goats, pigs, roosters, hens, chickens, four ponds, trails in different directions, old barns and sheds with weathered boards. We enjoyed the day painting with friends from the Nashville, TN, area and look forward to painting in the area again soon. Watch my blog and web site for the finished painting that I did that day.

Tommy Thompson paints at a Leiper's Fork, TN farm.

Cades Cove

Tommy Thompson was commissioned to create this original oil painting of "Cades Cove" for a couple from Starkville, MS. This scene is one of Thompson's favorites to capture on canvas. Cades Cove is located in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park near Gatlinburg, TN.

Tommy Thompson Featured on "The Journal of 100 Miles," Natchez Trace Parkway

By Becky Bauer, Nashville Writer/Songwriter

There are winding roads neighboring the Natchez Trace Parkway where Tommy Thompson can be found capturing his surroundings. “I always want to know what’s around the bend,” he says, as he loves to discover new places with his wife, Marie. For this plein air artist, around the bend is a few more miles of the unknown and endless possibilities. When finding that perfect spot, where sunlight dances on the fields, he’ll pull out his easel and, like a poet putting words to paper, brush paint to canvas of a peaceful landscape and unsuspecting subjects.

Thompson’s impressionistic style with a play on light and color creates a tranquil display of a rural environment along with elements that “give life” to his art. Horses and children are among his specialty. “With both you have to stay with them long enough for them to get accustomed to you, when they finally get quiet and move away from you, you can get a natural painting.”

The former architectural and commercial illustrator turned painter has been featured in numerous publications and solo exhibitions throughout the south and has studied under top painters like Kevin McPherson, Roger Dale Brown and Jason Saunders. A labor of love, to be a painter, he will declare, “You have to work at it every day, never stop painting.”

Inspired by the Tennessee’s hillsides, his work here includes Dream Acres, Hillside Horses and Southern Light. Left, Tommy paints with equine friend Sedona. This picture was published in the Winter 2008 issue of Horses in Art Magazine.

To inquire about Tommy Thompson artwork, please visit www.TommyThompsonArt.com and tell them Natchez100Journal.com sent you.

"St. John's Episcopal Church

Among Maury County's (TN) most cherished sites is St. John's Episcopal Church, located on Mt. Pleasant Pike south of Columbia. St. John's is a historic church built in 1839 in the Gothic Revival style; it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970. No longer an operating church, it is only used once annually for services and for special occasions. The attached graveyard is the burial site of four Episcopal Bishops of Tennessee. Tommy Thompson painted "St. John's Episcopal Church" after visiting the grounds many times to capture the scene digitally.

"Home Alone"

Tommy Thompson painted "Home Alone" after visiting a farm near Thompson Station, TN. The painter loves to venture out into the countryside to find new subjects for his oil paintings. The area near Thompson Station and Franklin, TN, has afforded the artist many venues for his painting experience. He has met so many interesting people in the area. He especially enjoys painting near Leiper's Fork, TN, because of its many horse farms in picturesque settings. The hills and hollows near Leiper's Fork have provided many hours of pleasure for the artist and his wife as they search for that perfect light focusing on an animal, old barn, or landscape.

Tommy Thompson Accepted to Fine Art in Brentwood Show and Sale

Tommy Thompson has been accepted to the Fine Art in Brentwood Show and Sale, conducted by Brentwood Academy, Brentwood, TN. The exhibition and sale will be conducted during December 4-6, 2009. A portion of the sales will be donated to Brentwood Academy.

Tommy Thompson Honored by His Boyhood Hometown

WCBI-TV, Columbus, MS

22 Jun 2009 10:46pm | Posted by Paulo Salazar | Local News

Starkville Honors National Artist

STARKVILLE, Miss-- All week long Tommy Thompson's art will be on display at Starkville's Welcome Center on 200 main Street.

Thompson is a Starkville High School graduate and will be in town Friday to celebrate his 50th High School Reunion.

He was an architectural and commercial artist for more than 30 years before advancing to painting oil landscapes in 2002.

The GSDP, along with classmate Jack Wallace, thought it would be great in conjunction with the reunion. Wallace who is also President of OCEDA says, "We try to have an art display int he Partnership all the time. In this particular week we will be able to feature Tommy during the week we are having the Reunion; it's just fantastic. We are all really excited."

Thompson will be on hand for a "meet and greet" Friday in the Partnership lobby.

Southern Light

Early one Sunday morning my wife and I were driving near Bethel, TN, when we happened to see a guy riding his horse down a dusty country road. We were in the area looking for a creek that Anthony Scarlati (www.scarlati.net) had told us about. The horseman had a long pony tail tied back with a bandana-- the real salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. He seemed like a character out of "Lonesome Dove." I could hardly believe that we just happened upon this "Faulknerian" character while riding down the road. I asked him to ride his horse up and down a creek while I shot photos, and he was willing to do whatever we asked. The lighting was absolutely perfect and the model could not have been more cooperative. I knew that what I had witnessed offered great potential for an oil painting. I could hardly wait to finish this painting. I must say that my wife was just as excited about the prospect as I was since she knows what is required to create a good painting.

Fighting Joe Wheeler Clubhouse

One of my favorite places to paint "en plein air" is very near our home in Florence, Alabama. That place is the Fighting Joe Wheeler Golf Course, which is part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Early one morning my wife and I arrived just as the sun was rising to capture this view of the clubhouse. To see another painting that I have done of the course, see http://tommythompsonart.com/workszoom/179369

Garden View

A garden in Nashville, TN, in the Germantown neighborhood was the inspiration for this painting. The garden belongs to an executive of the Metro Nashville Arts Commission. The Germantown neighborhood is one of my favorite places to paint because of its historical significance, its interesting architecture, and interesting old buildings. We enjoy visiting there and discovering many unusual architectural elements, such as the ones found in this lovely garden.

Long-Horn Portrait

Often when we visit our daughter near Nashville, TN, we take early morning rides through the countryside to do some "exploring." Early one Saturday morning I found some long-horn cows near Franklin, TN, and was fascinated by their faces, hence this portrait resulted.

Foggy Sunday

I found this little church early one foggy morning near Mars Hill Road in Florence, Alabama. Something about this scene captured my attention, and I often return to it to paint.

Spring Morning in the Park

Tommy and Marie Thompson visited Spring Park in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the birthplace of Helen Keller, early one spring morning to capture this scene on canvas. Tuscumbia is just across the Tennessee River from Florence, Alabama, where they live. They enjoy visiting the park, especially during the summertime to observe the colorful lighted fountain display that is set to music.

Fishing on the Coosa

"Fishing on the Coosa" is an 9 x 12 oil original that can be purchased at this link.

Occasionally, I must resort to using digital photographs to produce my oil paintings. I prefer to paint en plein air, but sometimes our hectic schedule does not allow that luxury. I found this lone fisherman seated on a bench on a pier jutting out in the Coosa River. I have always found fishing to be a relaxing sport and am drawn to scenes such as this.

Hot Dog, Anyone?

This colorful hotdog vendor in Gadsden, Alabama, caught the eyes of my wife Marie and I, while we were visiting the city to do some preliminary research on possible painting sites. This vendor was quite animated and captured our attention for quite a while. She was very helpful to us in preserving her image digitally so that I could produce an oil painting after returning to my studio.

The 12 x 9 oil original can be purchased at this link.

Coosa River Gazebo

Sometimes in our hectic lives today, time does not permit the luxury of plein air painting. Such was the case for this painting. While visiting Gadsden, Alabama, to do research prior to the Southeastern Plein Air Festival, I shot photographs to use in later paintings after returning to my studio.

"Coosa River Gazebo" is an 8 x 10 oil original and can be purchased through Tommy Thompson Art at this link.

Peaceful Interlude

"Peaceful Interlude" is an 11 x 14 inch oil original that I painted while participating in the Southeastern Plein Air Festival, conducted by the Gadsden Museum of Art in Gadsden, Alabama.

I selected the site on the Coosa River for its quiet peacefulness. The only visitors that I saw were occasional fishermen or boaters drifting past. I was drawn to the colors of the natural surroundings and the solitude of the scene. Painting nearby was the talented young Russian painter, Dimitry Proshkin of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Noccalula Falls

I painted the oil original, "Noccalula Falls," while participating in the Southeastern Plein Air Festival conducted by the Gadsden Museum of Art in Gadsden, Alabama. According to a legend, a native Indian tribe lived in the area, and the tribe's chief, Noccalula, had a beautiful daughter. Her father turned down all of her suitors and decided to select a husband for her. Unfortunately, she had her heart set on another brave and begged her father to allow her to marry the true love of her life. When her father denied her petition, she escaped to the falls on the day of her scheduled wedding and took her own life. A statue of the maiden stands guard over the Falls today.

I selected a view of the Falls to paint that is different from that normally selected by most artists. I wanted to show a more unusual perspective of the Falls.

Afternoon Serenity

After a rather treacherous journey over many boulders and slipping over rocks down into a gorge next to Noccalula Falls, I selected a view of the Gorge to paint because of the unusual rock formations and the sounds created by the crashing of the water over boulders.

It is incredible to see what God created here--it seems that an invisible hand placed individual rocks in carefully constructed layers to create a beautiful setting for all to see, to capture on canvas and appreciate. The solitude of the scene is only interrupted by the rhythm of the ripples and crashes of the water falling constantly downstream. An occasional bird entertained me and my wife Marie with its own favorite tune.

I painted this oil original while participating in the Southeastern Plein Air Festival, conducted by the Gadsden Museum of Art in Gadsden, Alabama.

Peaceful Images in Oil: Most Recent Work of Hometown Artist, Tommy Thompson, Featured in Solo Exhibit

The Greater Starkville (MS) Development Partnership is planning to conduct a one-man exhibition of Tommy Thompson's latest work at their offices during June 22-28, 2009. The title of the exhibition is "Peaceful Images in Oil: Most Recent Work of Hometown Artist, Tommy Thompson, Featured in Solo Exhibit." The exhibit will be displayed at the Partnership offices located at 200 E. Main Street in Starkville (home of Mississippi State University).The occasion of the exhibit is the 50th reunion of the 1959 class of Starkville High School during June 26-28, 2009 (Thompson was a 1959 graduate of the school).