Every now and then you receive a message that just makes your day so much brighter. That happened to us a few days ago. We received this comment from Dean Dixon, an internationally known photographer from Nashville, Tennessee. Here is the comment: "Tommy, Your site looks great and works well. Your painting of our home in Germantown (Nashville) is one of my favorite things. The fact that you chose it to paint was flattering as we designed the house ourselves and you executed it perfectly. I like our neighborhood because every day here feels like a Sunday afternoon and that is what your painting feels like too. Good Luck in all things. You do beautiful work. Dean Dixon" To see Dean's outstanding work log onto http://www.deandixon.com

"Flat Creek at Jackson Hole, Wyoming" is a painting that Thompson created after participating in an intensive oil painting workshop conducted by Scott Christensen. Thompson and his wife treasure their visit to this beautiful area of our country. This painting was selected by an interior designer from Washington, DC, for the new wing of St. Mary's Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Horses figure very prominently in the background of artist Tommy Thompson. When he was a child growing up in rural Mississippi, he had a favorite horse named Liz. Many of Thompson's collectors tell him that they like his paintings of horses.

Tommy Thompson painted "Hot Lunch" primarily in memory of his mother, Eugenia. Eugenia loved her cows and even gave them pet names. She enjoyed going out to the pasture and calling "Soo Cow" to her favorite cows. She would talk "baby talk" to her cows because they were like her pets.

Many people have considered what the name of the painting means. Some have conjured up ideas of a "Hot Lunch" of steak, but what Thompson was really referring to is the "Hot Lunch" that the young calf has just had.

Painting is similar to playing golf; to win, you must make every stroke count." --Tommy Thompson, 2007

Tommy Thompson's paintings are taking on a new look. They are showing a more painterly style, and this is being recognized by other artists, gallery owners, and collectors alike. As any artist can attest, most artists labor over their paintings for many hours. After many, many hours of frustration, it is a welcome refrain to hear an artist like Tommy Thompson say--"I finally know where I want to go. I can see my work improving. I know what I need to do." We invite you to take a tour of Tommy's newly redesigned web site at http://www.tommythompsonart.com . Be sure to pause to see "Flat Creek in Jackson Hole, Wyoming," "Leisure Morning" and "Hot Lunch."

March has already been a whirlwind month for us. In addition to being in Local Color Gallery in Nashville, Tommy now has works in Village Fine Art Gallery in Knoxville, TN; Willis Gray Gallery in Decatur, AL; and Savage Gallery in Nashville. We learned recently that one of Tommy's paintings is being considered by an interior designer in Washington, DC for a new bank in Knoxville.

This week Tommy is putting the finishing touches on more new work to be shown at "An Evening of Beauty Art Show and Sale" by Agathos School in Columbia, TN. The show is being held in the antebellum home at Rippavilla Plantation, Spring Hill, TN, on Saturday, March 17 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The show will also feature live music and an hors d'oeuvres reception. For more information concerning the show and sale, please call 931-388-0556.

Artists, collectors, and gallery owners will want to read the book, Living the Artist's Life, by Paul Dorrell. Dorrell is the founder of Leopold Gallery in Kansas City. His book is a guide to growing, persevering, and succeeding in the art world. Because Dorrell is an artist--novelist--in his own right, he understands the many trials and tribulations of living the artist life. Dorrell is a columnist for the Artist's Magazine. The success of his book took him on a tour of 60 cities and at such venues as the Art Students League of New York, Chicago Artists' Coalition, etc. To learn more about this book, visit http://www.pauldorrell.com  

We learned about Dorrell's book through an online class entitled "Promoting Your Artwork with Confidence," conducted by Alyson B. Stanfield, in which Marie is enrolled. Anyone who wants to further the business side of their art career would do well to contact Alyson regarding her online classes, seminars, and books. To learn more about this opportunity, visit http://www.artbizcoach.com

On Friday we were pleased to attend the one-man show of new works by a good artist friend, Gary Young, at the Gordon Jewish Community Center, 801 Percy Warner Blvd, Nashville. Gary's show runs through March 30; for more information, please call 615-356-7170. Gary has studied under several Nashville area artists including Dawn Whitelaw, Jody Thompson, Roger Dale Brown, Jason Saunders and Chad Boyd. He has furthered his training with internationally known artists Kevin Macpherson, Scott Christensen, and Kenn Backhaus.

We recently assisted a fellow artist--Charles Thomas Cox--in beginning the process of developing his web site, and welcome everyone to check out the site of this fantastic artist and teacher at http://www.fineartstudioonline.com/charlescox  

P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest paintings at http://www.tommythompsonart.com  and conversations about the origin of the work at http://tommythompsonart.blogspot.com  and feel free to leave a comment. If you know an artist or someone else who is interested in art, please feel free to forward this newsletter to them.

"Even if you are not an artist, if you can learn to see like an artist, your life will forever change." --Tommy Thompson, 2007