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Blog
by Marie Thompson on 10/30/2008 1:21:12 PM
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."
by Marie Thompson on 10/29/2008 4:19:45 PM
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.
by Marie Thompson on 10/19/2008 6:28:08 PM
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."
by Marie Thompson on 10/19/2008 6:26:51 PM
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.
by Marie Thompson on 10/19/2008 6:25:19 PM
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.
by Marie K. Thompson on 10/10/2008 8:09:48 AM
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/.
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by Marie K. Thompson on 10/10/2008 8:09:06 AM
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/. 
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by Marie Thompson on 10/9/2008 5:34:12 PM
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 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.
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