Blog

One of Tommy Thompson's favorite places to paint is Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in the Tetons. He found these beautiful horses in Jackson Hole. After photographing the horses, Thompson combined the digital photo of an awe-inspiring landscape from High School Butte in Jackson, WY and the horse photo to create an image from which to paint this studio piece, which he named "Horses of the Tetons."

One of Tommy Thompson's favorite places to visit and paint is North Haven Island, Maine. Incorporating horses into his paintings is another favorite thing to do.  The oil painter enjoys plein air painting with his friend, George Walker, on their visits to this island that has preserved its simple way of life.  North Haven is a year-round island community and summer colony located in Penobscot Bay, Maine.   "Maine-ly Grazing" is just one of the paintings that have resulted from several trips to North Haven Island by Thompson and friends. 

"Grazing with a View" depicts a scene that Tommy Thompson found on North Haven Island, Maine. The talented artist combined digital photos of landscapes and those of horses. Drawing from the inspiration of the late renowned wildlife painter, Lanford Monroe, and the revered painter, Richard Schmid, Thompson has learned to create pleasing compositions using more than one digital photograph.

Thompson and his painter friend George Walker draw much inspiration from the pristine landscapes found on the lovely North Haven Island off the coast of Maine.  They have spent many hours over the past few years locating new venues for their plein air painting excursions. 

Tommy Thompson painted "Sunday at Grandpa's" depicting an interesting landscape and old barn that he found near historic Lynnville, Tennessee, in Giles County.  The artist creatively used digital photographs of the scene and other photos of horses to arrange an imaginative composition for his painting.  Old Lynnville, TN, was on the old stagecoach pike that connected Nashville, TN, and Decatur, AL.  Prior to the Civil War, Old Lynnville was a flourishing little town.  However, much of the town was burned and destroyed during the Civil War.   In 1860, the Central-Southern Railroad was completed just one mile east of Old Lynnville. The old town began to move to the railroad and a new town was begun. On February 14, 1907, the new Lynnville was incorporated. Today, Lynnville is regarded as one of the most historical areas in Giles County and serves as the backdrop for many music videos produced by the music industry of the nearby Country Music Capital, Nashville.  Today a railroad museum, depot, antique steam locomotive, coach, flat car, and caboose add historic charm to the town. 

Thompson's painting, "Sunday at Grandpa's" is now in a private collection in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Tommy Thompson painted "Cold Ride" after visiting George and Beverly Greenup's farm near Pulaski, Tennessee, for a New Year's Day party, following a trail ride by a group of horse enthusiasts. At the party the artist met Arnold and Lisa Warmels, who live on a farm in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee. After taking several photographs of Arnold and his horse, Thompson was inspired to paint this oil on canvas, measuring 20" by 24". The landscape that the artist incorporated in his painting has elements of the trees and foreground that is behind the barn. Thompson included the imaginary distant landscape to add depth to the composition.

Arnold Warmels, a native of the Netherlands, is a horse trainer and clinician operating his business, Fryslan Valley Sport Horses, at his farm in Leiper's Fork, TN. Warmels' brand of horse training is dubbed "Riding Light" or "Horsemanship for Life." Although the European trainer grew up as a student of dressage in his homeland, he has wide expertise cuts across several disciplines and includes experience with a variety of horse breeds that he has worked with since his arrival in the United States. To learn more about Arnold and his special training style, visit http://www.fryslanvalley.com

We recently were treated to an unusual experience in Pulaski, Tennessee. Our good friends, George and Beverly Greenup, invited us to their farm near Pulaski on New Year's Day. A large group of "horse lovers" gather at their farm each year for a trail ride followed by a bountiful feast of every kind of gourmet morsel you can imagine. I was particularly interested because of my love of horses, and this gave me an excellent opportunity to photograph the horses and the riders for future paintings. This proved to be a very special experience for Marie and me. Because my painting has been submitted for a juried exhibition, I cannot show the painting yet. As soon as possible I will be displaying the painting on my web site and my blog.