I am very excited to learn that both my entries for the 2013 Celebration competition have been accepted.  It is always a remarkable show with some of the best regional artists!  I am honored to be selected to participate.
Hope some of you will have the opportunity to see the show.

227 FULTON ST E, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN · (616) 451.2879 ·www.thecelebrationofthearts.com · CONTACT US Celebration of the Arts Update - November 28, 2012 2013 Juror Annouced GARY WAHL is a lifelong artist who works in a wide range of media from photography to cast metals. An Associate Professor of Art at Albion College, he teaches courses in Photography, Digital Art, and Sculpture. His work reflects his interest in the issues of want and need as expressed in human shelter and landscape. As our Celebration 2013 juror, Professor Wahl anticipates viewing works in a wide range of media and approaches dealing with the many facets of spirituality in art. 2013 Entry Form Mailing The 2013 Artist Entry Form should be arriving soon, please check your mailbox next week. Entry forms are also available for download online. Click here >> Celebration of the Arts began in 1972 and is a 13 day festival of the arts. In its 40th year, Celebration has grown to represent one of the largest juried sacred art shows in the country. It features artists from throughout the region in a variety of mediums including oils, acrylic, watercolor, sculpture, fiber, photography, and more. During the 13 day festival there are many individual events including concerts, drama, and art activities.

My Accepted Entries

An Uncertain Angel 20x23 o/c

The Bunny Bowl   16x20 o/c

Moms Mums

Spider Mums are hard to paint, I think.  They are big and graceful and a little "wild and unruly" at the same time.  It's hard to get that balance, but you have to be careful not to have them look like you worked too hard on them!

Moms Mums    15x21  oc

In honor of my Mom.

  May you be at peace in heaven. 

 I love you.

Roses on Black

Roses on Black     20x16  o/c

Last week I painted these roses on white, this week I decided to try it on black.  I saw a recent painting by Jeff Legg....(wow).  He does mostly dark-black backgrounds on his stilllifes and gets an incredible impact with the lights against the darks.  I was inspired to give it a try.  While it may not be a "Jeff Legg", there are things that I feel are successful on it.  Hope you enjoy it!

I found a wonderful square frame for this painting that I did about 3 months ago...only problem, the painting wasn't square!  I wasn't happy with the feel of it as it was so I made some changes and cropped it to fit the frame!
Christmas Cactus  16x16  o/c  framed $500

Today's painting is in response to a "challenge" to paint an all white subject painting.  Obviously I bent the rules a bit.  I had these roses I bought a couple of days earlier and they were losing their vigor.  I needed to paint them before it was too late....so I put the roses in a set up with everything else as white. Well, it was just for fun anyway!  Hope you enjoy!  Thank you for viewing my art!

Roses on White      20x16  oc

The holidays have been wonderful...but busy.  I am so happy to be able to settle down to a painting day!  A cozy fire, my two dogs at my feet, a glass of wine....what more could you ask for?

A couple of months ago I did this painting but things started to bother me with it.  I just couldn't get past the issues that I felt it had.  Today I reworked it quite substantially.  I am much more satisfied with it now.  Hope you don't mind the changes!

Red Roses and Green Grapes     28x22  o/c

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND A VERY HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!!

To All our wonderful friends and family.....we wish you the very best...

with love, Tom and Barb

"Just a Scuff"    8x14   oil       

Berries Galore    30x23   oil

I wanted to try a "cool" color palette.  I've been working in predominantly warm colors with the last few paintings. These colors caught my eye and I wanted to see how they would work in a painting.  It's such a different feeling than the warm color palette paintings. 

Hope you are caught up in the Christmas season and feeling the cheer and goodwill!

White Pitcher with Yellow Roses   20x16  oil

As Christmas rushes towards us I find more than ever the time I can escape and get lost in painting is a wonderful rejuvenator!  I've not been very "on top" of the Christmas traditions this year...It will be the first year without my boys home for Christmas morning in almost 30 years!  They are busy and Adam is out of state for the Holidays.  It's ok but somehow the traditions seem less significant to me.  Still I don't want to lessen the importance of the season, the true reason for Christmas and the wonderful time of connecting with those dear to us.  I have simply stepped back from the bustle and decided to make it a quieter celebration!  I think I might paint!  

Red and Yellow Roses     17x22  oil

I used a little palette knife on this painting.  I haven't worked with a palette knife very often but had so much fun with it, I think I'll do it again!  I laid down the body of the work with fairly thick brushwork and then as a last step I took my knife and scraped and flattened to create some texture.

Thank you for viewing my art!