New Daughter/Father Studio at the Factory in Franklin, TN

October 2008 brings a new venture at the Factory in Franklin, TN, for the daughter/father team of Michelle Rideout, pastelist and oil painter, and Tommy Thompson, oil painter. The artists have opened a working studio on "The Row @ The Factory," located at 230 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN. The Factory is a complex of 11 depression-era buildings with a total of 250,000 square feet, which housed four different factories during its industrial lifetime. Today the Factory serves as a dining, retail, entertainment, and educational center and offers a unique indoor shopping experience, including art galleries. The manager of "The Row @ The Factory" is Ms. Deborah Gall of Abide Studio. The ten artists of "The Row @ The Factory" work in open-air studios, allowing customers to interact with the artists, observe art in progress, and purchase great art. The other artists include Connie Shaw of The Artisan Company, specializing in native American jewelry and gifts. Eleanor Ann Bailey of the Breath of Life Studio is a prolific artist who creates unusual wind chimes, metal garden sculptures, etc. Deann Hebert of Deann Designs specializes in oil and acrylic creations. Dorit Riley entertains the viewers of her colorful figures and fantastic creatures in acrylics and watercolor. John Cannon's representational paintings in oil and acrylic are a blend of realism and impressionism. Bob Jones' work in pen and ink reveals a meticulous attention to detail. Roz Ramey creates abstract and realistic work using multimedia. Judith Anderson of Windsong Studio creates serene landscape paintings and jewelry. When you are in the Franklin area, be sure to visit these fine artists on "The Row @ The Factory."

Monteagle Meadow

Tommy Thompson painted "Monteagle Meadow" while participating in a paint-out with a group of Atlanta plein air painters in Monteagle, TN, during September 2008. The group paints in the Monteagle area twice each year. Monteagle is located in the beautiful Cumberland Mountains between Chattanooga and Nashville. Thompson enjoyed painting in this beautiful part of the country.

Small Town America

Tommy Thompson produced the oil painting, "Small Town America," which depicts a small Southern town in Alabama. This town has a storied past, but today many of the stores and businesses are closed. The townspeople still have tremendous pride in their little town because of its history.

Paint-Out With Alabama Plein Air Artists

During September 27-28 we participated in the Alabama Plein Air Artists Paint-Out in Courtland, AL. D. D. Martin of Courtland and Donna Chieves of Birmingham coordinated this very successful event.

The artists were honored with the utmost in Southern hospitality provided by the wonderful residents of Courtland. Courtland offers a trip through the history of a nineteenth century town. Reflecting the town's beginning as a local trade center rooted in the surrounding plantation economy are more than 100 homes, buildings and sites dated from 1820-1938. For more information about APAA, check out our web site at http://www.alabamapleinairartists.com/.

Painting With Atlanta Plein Air Painters

Tommy Thompson was invited by our long-time friend, John Baggenstoss of Monteagle, TN, to paint with an Atlanta plein air painting group in beautiful Monteagle, TN, during September 21-25. Baggenstoss, formerly with Ebsco Media, and Marie Thompson collaborated for many years on publications produced for IFDC--an International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development of Muscle Shoals, AL.

During the Paint-Out we met the renowned pastelist, Elsie Dresch of Atlanta. Ms. Dresch authored the book, Create Better Paintings: Working with Pastels, which is available via her web site at http://www.elsiedresch.com/.

Hills and Hamlets Magazine Publishes Feature Article on Tommy Thompson

Reproduced with permission of Hills and Hamlets, Leiper's Fork, TN (www.hillsnhamlets.com)

" Tommy Thompson Art Brought to Light"

By BECKY BAUER

Photograph by Anthony Scarlati

On a warm, sunny morning this past August, I had the pleasure of a visit from artist Tommy Thompson and his wife Marie at my farm in Franklin. The rural property was the backdrop for photos with the artist as well as subject for his canvas. Reaching the back field, Tommy pulled out his easel and set up under a shade tree facing the adjoining pastureland. He took in the scenery and watched two horses, who had greeted him earlier with a curious hello before going back to their grazing. As the camera quietly captured the man in his realm, the sun shined down brightly on the grass and threw a spotlight on the canvas. Tommy proceeded to brush on colorful oils that transpired to an illuminating painting of horses in landscape.

Residents of Florence, Alabama, the Thompsons make frequent visits to Middle Tennessee to market his paintings, as well as to visit family in Brentwood. The couple can be found driving country roads looking for the subject of his next painting. Tommy is habitual about wanting to see what’s around the bend or over the hill. While finding these spontaneous spots of inspiration, they have discovered new places and many friends throughout the U.S. and abroad. After 30 years as an architectural and commercial artist, Tommy turned his focus to oil painting in 2002. His paintings are traditional landscapes in oil with subjects including horses, children, pets and architecture.

Painting is an everyday part of this artist’s life, a continuous labor of love and effort for improvement. “I haven’t talked to an artist that hasn’t felt they have arrived yet; they are constantly developing their style,” claims Thompson. And, he adds, “You have to work at it every day, never stop painting.”

While he continues to master his technique, the painter will admit to a noticeable, but not bothersome tremble in his hand. Sometimes he can’t control where the brush is going, but when he looks at what he has done he thinks, “I couldn’t have done that if I tried.” A small blessing in disguise you could say.

With the help of Marie, Tommy Thompson Art continues to fill the walls of homes and offices nationwide. Credentials include studying under top oil painters like Kevin Macpherson, Richard Schmid and Jason Saunders. The artist’s work has been shown in solo exhibitions and featured in numerous publications like Southwest Art and Nashville Arts magazines. FineArtViews.com ranks Thompson No. 33 out of 2,000 artists.

“One thing that has had more affect on my success is my wife, none of this would have happened without her. There would be a lot more great artists if they had a Marie,” affirms Tommy.

It is clear, as I watched him paint that day, Tommy Thompson has the passion and skill to create beautiful artwork. What he began on a small canvas while standing in the pasture turned into an exquisite piece of art that now hangs on my wall and I catch myself gazing at it every day.

Visit http://www.tommythompsonart.com/ to view Thompson’s work. He can be reached at 256.767.0422 or by email, tommy@tommythompsonart.com

Becky Bauer lives in rural Williamson County. A gifted songwriter, poet and horse woman, with interests in graphic and Web site design, her many talents make her a multi-faceted contributor to Hills & Hamlets.

Sassy

Tommy Thompson painted "Sassy," a Second Place Winner in the "No Frills Horse Show," at Brownland Farms at Franklin, TN in August. This beauty is owned by Meaghan Lynch of Leiper's Fork, TN. Leiper's Fork is a haven for horse lovers; the area is heavily populated with these beautiful animals.

Sunday Picnic

Tommy Thompson enjoys painting at various spots on the Natchez Trace Parkway. One Sunday he and his wife visited the Colbert Ferry Park near the Tennessee River/Natchez Trace Bridge. They happened to find this picnic table decked out for a Sunday picnic. The park is named for George Colbert, who operated a stand and ferry here and reportedly charged Andrew Jackson $75,000 to ferry his army across the Tennessee River on their way to the Battle of New Orleans, the final major battle of the War of 1812. The park is a popular place on the Natchez Trace to stop to have a picnic.

Leiper's Fork Refuge

Tommy Thompson painted "Leiper's Fork Refuge" en plein air while visiting the small community of Leiper's Fork, Tennessee. He enjoyed meeting the nice lady who owns this historic home. Leiper's Fork is a small, picturesque community near Franklin, Tennessee. It is well known for its beautiful horse farms and beautiful rolling hills and hamlets. Thompson enjoys visiting there and taking in the unique sights and delicious country cooking. Many of the Country Music Capital's song writers/musicians have made their homes in Leiper's Fork.

Becky's Horses

This painting was done for one of our new friends, Becky Bauer, in the Nashville, TN, area. We enjoyed visiting her farm and could not resist capturing these beautiful animals on canvas. Becky is a lover of horses and also a very accomplished writer, whose work can be found in the monthly magazine, Hills and Hamlets, published in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee.

"Blue Heron at Dawn"

While Tommy Thompson and his wife were on their way to the Leiper's Fork, TN, area early one morning, they were lucky enough to spot a Great Blue Heron wading in a marshy area at the corner of Hillsboro and Berry's Chapel Roads (across the street from the Legends Ridge Subdivision) in Franklin, TN. After parking near the side of the road, Thompson quietly removed his tripod from his minivan so that he could get a better photo of the beautiful bird. According to the Cornell University's Ornithology Lab, the great blue heron is the largest and most widespread heron in North America. The blue-gray bird has long legs, an S-shaped neck and long, thick bill. The heron has a head-to-tail length of 36 to 54 inches, a wingspan of 71 inches, and a weight of 4 to 8 pounds. It is found in shallow marine waters and marshy areas near lakes or ponds. Although the Great Blue Heron eats primarily fish, it is adaptable and willing to eat other animals as well. Several studies have found that mice are a very important part of the diet. It feeds in shallow water or at the water's edge during both the night and the day, but especially around dawn and dusk. Thompson painted "Blue Heron at Dawn" after returning to his studio because of the unpredictable nature of the bird.

Tennessee River Serenity

To celebrate his 46th wedding anniversary, Tommy Thompson decided to do some plein air painting while his wife, the writer, wrote this blog post. In rural Lauderdale County, AL, we are blessed with many creeks (like the Cypress and Shoals Creeks), lakes (like the Wilson, Wheeler, and Pickwick Lakes), and the Tennessee River, which provide an abundance of subject matter for plein air painting excursions. We remember well the sage advice of the master painter, Ned Mueller, during the 2003 Scottsdale Artist School/Plein Air Painters of America workshop in Old Lyme, CT. Mueller said, "It does not matter what subject matter you choose to paint; what matters is your perspective--the idea you are conveying."

In other words, when you paint like Tommy Thompson, you begin with one compelling idea or theme and focus on that. For example, he studies the effects of light on the subject. The play of light on elements of a landscape--trees, marshes, water, bogs, grasses, and reeds--can be extremely dramatic. As a painter advances in his painting skills, he is compelled to capture not an entire scene but only that portion of a scene that "tells" his story.



"My purpose in painting this scene was to capture the serenity, the quiet mood of this river scene," Thompson says. "There were no sounds other than those of the buzzing of insects and the bubbling water created by splashing fish and geese. I focused on the patterns created by the light on the trees and the large mozaic patterns of algae on the water's surface."


When you squint as master painter Kevin Macpherson teaches, you can see the main "puzzle pieces" of the composition of this painting. This attention to the large masses is the foundation of all good landscape painting. The "puzzle pieces" of this scene are similar to a marshy area that Thompson painted in Old Saybrook, CT, near the home of the late actress, Kathryn Hepburn.

In creating "Tennessee River Serenity," Thompson painted "thick over thin" using a palette knife, with his Open Box M stationed near a rusty old iron bridge overlooking a tributary feeding the Tennessee River. The marshy area in this scene is home to a family of Canadian geese that were swimming about almost oblivious of their human observers.





To order this painting, click on this link: "Tennessee River Serenity." To see other paintings by Thompson, click on http://www.tommythompsonart.com/

"Tennessee Hillside Horses"

Commissioned by a Franklin, TN, couple, Tommy Thompson created his latest oil landscape painting, titled "Tennessee Hillside Horses." Thompson, a lover of horses, found these beauties on a hillside farm near Pulaski, TN. After Thompson and his wife found this scene, a young boy and his mother were helpful enough to assist the artist by transporting him up the hillside on their Easy-Go Cart to capture a better photograph of the horses. The scene was captivating in that the atmosphere created a very serene mood. Thompson is receiving commissions from collectors to produce specific landscape paintings for their homes and offices.

Tommy Thompson Art on Southwest Art Magazine Web Site

Tommy Thompson's artwork is now featured on the Southwest Art magazine's web site at http://www.southwestart.com/artists/artist_spotlight/2233.  Be sure to check out Thompson's biodata and sample artwork on this popular web site.  

Tommy Thompson Selected "Featured Artist" by Robert Genn.com

Canadian artist, Robert Genn, selected Tommy Thompson as the featured artist today, July 29, 2008. Click on this link and scroll down to "World of Art" to see the painting that Genn chose to exhibit today:

http://clicks.robertgenn.com/tower-lucca.php Genn writes and distributes his "Twice Weekly Letters" worldwide, and artists from every state in the USA, every province in Canada, and at least 115 countries worldwide have visited his web site since January 1, 2008.

Subscribe to Tommy Thompson's RSS Feed and View His Latest Paintings

If you would like to know about my latest artwork before many others do, subscribe to my RSS feed (RSS=Really Simple Syndication). To subscribe to my RSS feed, locate the RSS orange icon (with the word "Feed" next to it) on my "Portfolio of Works" page on my web site. This allows site visitors who use RSS to "subscribe" to my works portfolio with a few clicks. Why would someone do that? Because it will allow the visitor to monitor when I post new artwork without having to manually check my site every day. When you subscribe to a feed, it is added to a common feed list. Updated information from the feed is automatically downloaded to your computer and can be viewed in Internet Explorer and other programs.

RSS readers are the programs used to view the latest paintings on web sites to which you have subscribed. In other words, it is a way to accumulate all your RSS feeds from various websites, like all your favorite artists, into one handy interface. For example, Google reader is free and you do not have to download a program. To be able to use Google reader, you will need a Google account. It is easy to set up; you just answer a few questions to have your account. Once you have signed in, you can access all the other Google services. At the following link you can sign onto Google to begin using your Google reader (https://www.google.com/accounts/Login).

"Got One"

Recently I have been focusing more on figurative paintings and enjoying it immensely. A chance happening occurred one day that sparked this interest in "figures in landscape" paintings. In early June my wife and I were returning home from our daughter's home in Hartselle, Alabama. As always, as we traveled along we were looking for potential painting spots. We noticed an interesting meadow filled with newly mown hay and bales of hay waiting to be taken to someone's barn. I liked the play of light and shadows on the bales and decided to stop to photograph the scene. I also noticed an inviting lane beside the pasture, and since I've always been the kind who wanted to see what was at the end of an interesting lane, around the next curve, or over the next hill, I could not resist driving up that lane. Waiting at the other end of the lane were two young boys who were visiting their grandparents' picturesque farm that was a wonderland of fishing ponds and other natural places to play. The boys reminded us of "Huck" and "Tom" as they dipped their hooks at the water's edge. Their dog, "Pinky" added another dimension to the painting's story. Watching the boys that day reminded me of summers at my childhood home when there was no better way to while away the hours than to dig some worms and go fishing in our farm pond.

Now I want to capture on canvas what I find on my journeys through the countryside . I ride the roads less traveled looking for the play of light and shadows on tranquil pastoral landscapes, beautiful horses, architectural structures, and people as they go about their everyday life. My goal is to create artwork that connects with people as it did one day when a lady told me, "I could not get your painting off my mind; I even dreamed about it." I hope that my paintings add a sense of peace and serenity to the lives of my viewers. Painting is so much a part of my everyday life that it would be difficult to live without it. Regardless of where I happen to be, I am driven to paint every day.

Tommy Thompson and Eleven Other Artists To Be Honored by Citi Smith Barney

"Got One!" 24" x 20" Oil on Canvas by Tommy Thompson


Everyone is invited to a "Salute to North Alabama Artists Reception and Show" on Tuesday, July 15, 2008, from 5 to 8 p.m., conducted by Citi Smith Barney, 501 Madison Street, Huntsville, Alabama. Twelve of the area's finest artists will present their works for show and sale in the Huntsville Office of Smith Barney. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to Make-a-Wish Foundation, Georgia and Alabama Chapter. Tommy Thompson is honored to be included in this group and looks forward to seeing many of his friends and collectors at the show. To view more of Thompson's work, log onto his web site at http://www.tommythompsonart.com/

Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. The Foundation's mission reflects the life-changing impact that a Make-A-Wish experience has on children, families, referral sources, donors, sponsors and entire communities. Although it has become one of the world's most well-known charities, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has maintained the grassroots fulfillment of its mission. A network of more than 25,000 volunteers enable the Make-A-Wish Foundation to serve children with life-threatening medical conditions. Volunteers serve as wish granters, fundraisers, special events assistants and in numerous other capacities.

Florence, Alabama, Artist Tommy Thompson

Artist Tommy Thompson makes his home in Florence, Alabama, which was named by its Italian surveyor/designer after his favorite city in Italy--Florence. The Alabama city is located near the banks of the Tennessee River, pictured in Thompson's painting, Old Man River. Florence artist, Tommy Thompson, has always admired the renowned artists of his hometown's sister city in Italy--Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and others.

Dawn Whitelaw, Artist and Mentor Extraordinaire

In July 11-13, I will be participating in an oil painting workshop with one of my favorite artists and teachers, Dawn Whitelaw, at the Southgate Studio and Fine Art in Franklin, TN. After more than 30 years of teaching painting, Dawn Whitelaw still thinks of herself as a student. Like the painters she so admires, Sorolla, Sargent, and Zorn, she fully understands the importance of not only painting from life, but also keeping it simple. "It's not about rendering every eyelash or tree limb, but about finding the character for your subject and presenting the essential information," says Whitelaw.
Dawn Whitelaw maintains a studio at "The Factory" in Franklin, Tennessee. The opportunity to paint landscape plein air with colleagues from Alla Prima International and The Cumberland Society of Painters adds richness and honesty to her studio work. For more than 25 years she taught basic principles of oil painting as an adjunct instructor at David Lipscomb University. She credits the community of teachers and students around her for both her success and growth as an artist. Among her influential teachers are Scott Christensen, Cedric Egeli and Jim Pollard, but most of her instruction and inspiration comes from nationally preeminent artist Everett Raymond Kinstler. She considers one of her career highlights to be juried into two sessions at the Santa Fe Institute of Art with Kinstler as the instructor.
Her ability to capture life in paint has been noticed. Her awards include the Certificate of Merit for her portrait at the National Portrait Convention in 1991, Best of Show at the Portrait Society of America in Washington DC, and the Award of Excellence in the Oil Painter's of America exhibition in 2002.
With each painting, Dawn learns to see life in a new light. Whether painting vast open areas or intimate spaces, she delivers every stroke of paint like that of both a skilled master and a student discovering paint for the first time. For more information on Dawn and her workshops, log onto http://www.dawnwhitelaw.com/.