Remembering Autumn

Tommy Thompson painted this landscape while visiting at the pastoral farm of Andy and Judith Anderson in Franklin, TN. He was painting en plein air with his daughter, Michelle Rideout, and friends, George Walker and Mimi Sammis. To add life to the landscape, the painter added a figure raking leaves. This scene was captured one fine autumn day. Making it even more pleasurable was the opportunity to paint with fine friends, who enjoy working in watercolor and oil. Ms. Sammis serves the art community by passing on her love of art and her painting skills through her PBS television program, "Mimi's Art Studio."

Tommy Thompson Named A Featured Artist for Gadsden (AL) Museum of Art's Plein Air Festival

Oil painter Tommy Thompson has been named one of ten featured artists at the Gadsden (AL) Museum of Art's Southeastern Plein Air Festival during April 27-May 1, 2009. Other artists from throughout the southeast will also be participating in this open air painting event at scenic Gadsen, the Queen City of the Coosa River, located in northeastern Alabama.

During the week-long outdoor painting festival, artists from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, and elsewhere will capture on canvas such sights as the mountaintop waterfall, Noccalula Falls; views of the Coosa River; downtown street scenes; cotton fields; log cabins; elegant historic homes; scenic overlooks; and private and public botanical gardens. The festival will conclude with a wet paint auction and month-long exhibition in galleries and online (http://www.gadsdenmuseum.com/).

The artists will be treated to a variety of picnics, dinners, entertainment, and parties sponsored by the Gadsden Museum of Art Foundation, the Gadsden Art Association, Gadsden Parks and Recreation Department, Gadsden Chamber of Commerce, and others. The Alabama State Council on the Arts will also provide funding for the week-long festival.

Because the Festival will announce the painting locations each day via the Museum's web site and the local media, interested art appreciators and collectors will be able to watch the Festival artists in action as they create their works of art. The Museum will conduct tours of the painting sites for the interested public. Every day the plein air paintings will be posted on the Museum's web site in an online auction. The public will vote for the People's Choice Award online and in person at the auction. The Foundation Board will select the recipient of a Museum Purchase Award.

For more information, please log onto the Gadsden Museum of Art's web site at http://www.gadsdenmuseum.com/. To learn more about Tommy Thompson and his artwork, check out his web site at http://www.tommythompsonart.com/.

Tommy Thompson Art Featured on Front Cover of Hills and Hamlets Magazine

"Cold Ride," 20" x 24" Oil on Canvas

The January 2009 cover of the Hills and Hamlets magazine features a painting by Tommy Thompson. Thompson's painting, "Cold Ride," a 20" x 24" oil on canvas, was purchased by a Vanderbilt University professor in 2008. On New Year's Day, 2008, Thompson and his wife Marie were invited to the farm of George and Beverly Greenup of Pulaski, Tennessee, for a trail ride with a large group of horse enthusiasts that the artist photographed. The subject of the painting, Arnold Warmels, said, "It is amazing how Tommy caught the feel of 'Cold Ride' and the crisp winter calmness of a lonesome get-together with a horse. I am honored that both my horse Rambler and myself could inspire Tommy for this beautiful painting." To see the cover and subscribe to the magazine, click here: http://www.hillsnhamlets.com/ To see more of Thompson's paintings, check out his web site at http://www.tommythompsonart.com/ Another new web site that Thompson is establishing offers reference photos to his fellow artists; that web site is http://www.aphototopaint.com/

A Photo to Paint

Tommy Thompson paints the Canadian Rockies at Lake Louise.



After traveling to paint for more than 6 years, I now have a treasure trove of thousands of photographs. I composed my photos with future paintings in mind. I am now offering these photos for purchase by other artists. I have categorized these photos according to such subjects as landscapes, barns, figures, hay bales, gardens, architecture, etc. I shot the digital photos in Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wyoming, plus Canada. I invite all artists to check out my new web site at http://www.aphototopaint.com/

Just in Time Year-End Savings on Original Oil Paintings

"Monteagle Meadow," 8 x 10, Oil on Canvas Panel

Just in case you have more stockings to fill, why not fill them with "stock" that will not suffer the repercussions of a "bear market." Fine art is setting new records in art auctions across the country with some auctions bringing in total sales of more than $35 million.

Many people are buying paintings as an investment rather than stocks. The positive aspect of this is that art collectors' investments are not controlled by banks and other companies. Most of all, they have wonderful pieces of art to enjoy as their investment grows.





"Cafe on Main" 9 x 12, Oil on Canvas










To help would-be collectors begin their collections and to assist our collectors to add to theirs, Tommy Thompson Art has reduced its prices by 20%, effective through December 31, 2008. Please check out http://www.tommythompsonart.com to find that special gift. If you receive cash for Christmas; you may locate a painting to purchase before the end of the year.





"Leiper's Fork Refuge," 6 x 8, Oil on Canvas Panel










For example, you may wish to consider Tommy Thompson's painting, "Monteagle Meadow" or "Cafe on Main" or "Leiper's Fork Refuge."

Tommy Thompson Featured in Horses in Art Magazine

(from Winter 2008 Issue of Horses in Art, Published 2008, Jamul, California; www.horsesinart.com)

Peaceful Images in Oil
Staff Writer

Photo by Anthony Scarlati (http://www.scarlati.net/)

"Your paintings make me feel so peaceful," is a remark that painter Tommy Thompson hears from many viewers of his artwork. Thompson feels blessed to do what he enjoys the most--painting in oil. This pleasure follows more than 30 years of work as an architectural and commercial illustrator.

Thompson now concentrates on painting pastoral landscapes that include horses. His paintings are impressionistic in style and evoke a sense of peace.

"I grew up riding a horse named 'Liz,' on my family's farm, and this love of horses is obvious in many of my oil paintings today," the painter says. "Traveling through the countryside, my minivan often screeches to a halt at the sight of beautiful horses. Out from the van come my paints, easel, and digital camera as I set about capturing the pastoral scene on canvas. All of my paintings today are done using a limited palette of cadmium red light, cadmium yellow light, ultramarine blue, transparent oxide red, alizarin crimson, and titanium white. Using a palette knife and brushes, I paint wet-into-wet."

"I've always been the kind who wanted to see what was around the next curve, over the next hill, or at the end of an interesting lane," Thompson says. "Now I want to capture on canvas what I find on my journeys. I ride the roads less traveled looking for the play of light and shadows on tranquil pastoral landscapes and beautiful horses."




One of Thompson's favorite places to paint is Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in the Tetons. His painting, "Horses of the Tetons," was inspired when the painter climbed High School Butte in Jackson every day while visiting there. After photographing some beautiful horses in the area, Thompson combined a digital landscape photo and the horse photo to create an image from which to paint this studio piece.

Another of Thompson's favorite horse paintings is "Cold Ride," in which he captured the likeness of the Dutch horse trainer, Arnold Warmels of Leiper's Fork, Tennessee (fryslanvalley.com). Warmels had this to say about the painting, "It is amazing how Tommy caught the feel of 'Cold Ride' and the crisp winter calmness of a lonesome get-together with a horse. I am honored that both my horse Rambler and myself could inspire Tommy for this beautiful painting."

One of Thompson's collectors, who purchased his painting, "Grazing at Dawn," has a special appreciation of the artist's talent and skills, as expressed in his testimonial: "Our second acquisition, 'Grazing at Dawn,' depicting a horse grazing, a bale of hay, a river bend in the background with the mist rising off it in the dawn, and those shimmering first rays of sunlight comprise one of the quietest pastoral scenes I've ever seen. 'Grazing at Dawn' hangs over our bed and welcomes us each morning as we awake."

Thompson is a member of the Oil Painters of America, Portrait Society of America, Alabama Plein Air Painters, and the Chestnut Group, a nonprofit alliance of landscape artists of Nashville, Tennessee. The artist's childhood near Starkville, Mississippi, instilled in him a love of nature. Now living near the Tennessee River in Florence, Alabama, Thompson receives inspiration for his paintings from the natural surroundings. To view more of Tommy Thompson's work and to commission a painting, check out http://www.tommythompsonart.com/.

Tommy Thompson's Artwork Featured in October 2008 Issue of American Art Collector

The October 2008 issue of American Art Collector features the artwork of Tommy Thompson. The article entitled "Oil Painters of America: The Pursuit of Excellence," on pages 122-125, contains Thompson's paintings, "Horses of the Tetons"and "Got One." The article quotes Thompson's view of the Oil Painters of America: "My goal is to create representational paintings that add a sense of peace to the lives of my collectors. During the past six years, the Oil Painters of America's network of experienced artists has inspired the advancement of my painting skills through the challenge of participating in its regular competitions."

Morning Ride

Tommy Thompson painted "Morning Ride" after visiting the Water's Edge Farm, belonging to Dr. and Mrs. Samuel Lynch, of Leiper's Fork, TN. Arnold Warmels, a Dutch trainer with Fryslan Valley Sport Horses (http://www.fryslanvalley.com/), is a frequent model for Thompson's oil paintings.

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/