"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.