Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Blood.
Hi Tom, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always loved to create.
As a kid, I loved to draw and paint, write stories and poems (in addition to loving to play sports!)
I realized I probably wasn’t good enough to make a living as an artist, so I pursued a career in advertising where I could still create. My degree was in journalism with an advertising emphasis from the University of Missouri-Columbia. I was the only one from my graduating class who, upon graduation, got a job as a writer in an ad agency.
It was awesome. After less than a month on the job, I got to see my first TV commercial produced.
I went on to create advertising for a lot of great accounts, worked with great people and won hundreds of awards during the course of my career.
When I was 29, I decided to paint, having been given an airbrush for Christmas. I bought a book on how to use it and began creating airbrush paintings on large canvases. Though I enjoyed it, I was certainly no airbrush master and began combining airbrush with actual brushwork – still painting on large canvases. I liked what I created enough that I decided I’d get a gallery show. Without having any idea on how to do that, I began my pursuit – meeting with failure until one gallery owner said she liked my work and gave me an opportunity – I was second billing with a very established artist. On opening night, I sold four paintings and the gallery owner told me as long as I kept painting, she’d keep giving me shows.
My main job was advertising as a writer/Associate Creative Director. But I began to paint more.
When our third child was born, we converted my painting room into a downstairs bedroom and my painting came to a halt. Almost 17 years went by.
On Father’s Day, 13 years ago, our oldest son gave me two small canvases and challenged me to paint again.
“You’re too good not to paint. So paint.”
I was intimidated. I hadn’t picked up a brush for a long time – and had no idea what I should paint.
I finally decided on something and the final result was not good.
But it was good enough that I painted the next canvas.
Then I went out and bought my own canvas. I was painting again.
During that time, I became a Creative Director at a few different places and continued pursuing painting. I joined several art-related websites and started participating in a lot of art shows here in St. Louis. My intent now is to paint as long as I’m able to do so!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I doubt if any artist would ever say it’s been a smooth road.
Creating art always has that nagging self-doubt in your head. “Am I good enough?” “Why do I even bother?”
I’ve created close to 250 paintings and I’ve had the good fortune to sell about 25% of them – most to people I’ve never met before and probably never will. That’s rewarding.
But I’ve had a few years where I’ve sold less than five paintings – which really makes you question whether or not you should be doing what you’re doing.
But as Andy Warhol has said, “Don’t worry if it’s any good or not. Just push it out there.”
So I keep going and have a good time doing so.
The weird thing is, for a guy that spent his whole career creating advertising and marketing communications, I have yet to really figure out how to successfully advertise and market my own art – at least to the level I’d like it to be at.
One of these days!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Many people compare my work to that of Magritte. And for good reason. As mentioned, he is, was, and always will be my painting hero. He had such an incredible mind and his technique was truly masterful. In the past few years, I have been working hard to develop my own distinct style. Yet traces of Magritte continue to show up in my work. I have done close to 30 paintings featuring a man in a bowler hat. That is my ongoing homage to the Belgian master. Yet I try to have these paintings be distinctly my own.
Many of the ideas explored by Magritte also show up in my paintings – things that float that have no business floating. Interiors that look like exteriors. Objects that have turned to stone. Many people say my paintings are whimsical. I’ve never really liked that word but I guess it applies.
Since I mask off most of my paintings, my process is quite slow – but it also gives me a very distinctive look. That distinctive look is slowly catching on as I’ve sold 10 paintings so far this year and more than 200 prints. I think I’m most proud when someone purchases my work online. They don’t know me. They just want the painting. A woman I’ve never met who has one of my paintings hanging in her living room sent me a message earlier this year where she told me a friend walked in, saw the painting and told her, “That looks like a Tom Blood painting.”
That’s pretty cool.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I used to read all the time. Now I read about four books a year. I love to read but now spend more time painting than I do reading.
I have just about every book ever made about Magritte and have read them all and go back often to re-read some of the analysis of why he did what he did.
In my profile photo, you see me holding a book that was recently published by a poet named John Fadely called, “Before Leaving The Island”. The book features one of my paintings on the cover. It’s a great book of poems – surreal in their own way.
I’ve actually begun using Chat GPT to give me advice about posting on Instagram and Facebook. I rarely use exactly what is proposed but I do think it has helped fine tune some of my thoughts.
I also like the app insitu art room – they have a pretty wide range of wall settings that you can drop your paintings into and having them look like they’re installed is always a plus.
Pricing:
- Originals are $800 – $6,000
- Prints come in a variety of formats at tombloodart.com
- Merchandise is also available at tombloodart.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tombloodart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomblood_art/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TBloodman/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thblood/
- Twitter: https://x.com/tomblood_art
