Tommy Thompson’s 48” x 48” oil painting titled “Painted Trail” has been juried into the Energen Corporation’s 11th Annual Art Exhibition.  The exhibition will be on display during March 29 to April 10, 2010 at the Energen Plaza, 605 Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd, North, Birmingham, AL.  Energen conducts the largest juried art competition/exhibition in the state of Alabama. 

Tommy Thompson was commissioned to paint "Cloverdale" for a Starkville, MS couple. The location of the painting is near Thompson's home and one of his favorite places to paint. This scene captured the artist's attention from the very beginning. He continues to visit the farm to locate other special motifs for his oil originals.

(Photo courtesy bagwell macy advertising/pr)

The father/daughter artistic team of Tommy Thompson and Michelle Rideout was honored with an opening reception to mark the beginning of their exhibition of oils and pastels at Belle Meade Plantation Art Gallery on Thursday, February 4, 2010.  Ms. Joanne Hostettler-Floyd and her staff did an exceptional job of organizing the reception featuring "Wines for Valentine's" from West Meade Wine and Liquor Mart and hors d'oeuvres from Belle Restaurant.  A delightful evening of art, wine, and food was enjoyed by all guests.  

Tommy Thompson painted "Evening Stroll" because he was experimenting with a different style. The artist has received inspiration from the new Richard Schmid book, "The Landscapes."

"Tommy Thompson and Michelle Rideout:  A Father/Daughter Exhibition of Oils and Pastels"

Michelle Rideout paints with her father, Tommy Thompson, at Radnor Lake in Nashville.

Michelle Rideout Now Has Her Own Web Site

We encourage all of our friends and collectors to visit our daughter's web site to see her oils and pastels. Michelle has been painting en plein air for the past several years and prefers to paint landscapes.  Michelle has studied under some of Tennessee's premier painters including Jason Saunders, Dawn Whitelaw, Roger Dale Brown, Jeremy Doss, Pat Thompson, Carolyn Wright, and others.  She also participated in a plein air oil workshop with Colorado artist, Jeanne Mackenzie.  Prior to moving on to painting, Michelle was an illustrator for Village Prints, where she designed and produced composite architectural-style drawings of numerous towns across twelve Southern states.  Michelle belongs to the Chestnut Group, plein air painters for the land of Nashville, TN.  She holds a B.S. degree in graphic design from the University of North Alabama. 

The painting, "Swinging Over the Harpeth" will be on display at the Fine Art in Brentwood Show and Sale, December 4-6, 2009.

Tommy Thompson painted "Swinging Over the Harpeth" after watching some teenagers swinging over the Harpeth River on a rope swing off Old Natchez Trace Road west of Franklin, TN. This activity is a great summer pastime in the South.

Contact the artist if you are interested in purchasing a less-expensive giclee.

"Pleasant Meadow" is another of Tommy Thompson's memory paintings. Painter Kevin Macpherson in his book, "Landscape Painting: Inside and Out," says that artists should occasionally try painting from memory. On page 99 of his book, Macpherson instructs a painter to "look at a reference photo for 20 seconds, then put it away. Paint your first impression of the picture. Do not overanalyze; trust yourself. Drawing from memory ask yourself what color dominates and what value scale best represents your impression. Paint the entire painting without ever looking back at the reference." This talented painter and teacher knows that this challenge will push an artist to focus on the big picture because the painter will have only a general impression in mind to work from. Normally the longer a painter works on a scene, the easier it is to get lost in the finishing details and lose sight of the idea behind the painting and its overall quality.

Tommy Thompson is skilled in drawing and painting from his memory and the memory of other people. He enjoys this type of painting.

Tommy Thompson painted "Place of Peace" depicting a small church near his home in Florence, AL. This little church is the original Mars Hill Church of Christ.