An Interview With Artist Tom Slack.....

Recital and Cana

I believe writing, music, and art often walk hand-in-hand. I am always amazed at the emotions that paintings and portraits can evoke. Just as a song or a story can create intense feelings of peace, anger, tranquility, and sadness, so too can art. I've always enjoyed exploring art galleries and the seeds for many of my writing ideas have sprouted in response to a particular painting or piece. Paintings of  farm houses, villages, lakes, mountains and even portraits have been the inspiration for several author's stories. That's why I'm am very excited to feature Tom Slack, my husband's very talented uncle. Tom's paintings are unique, and I'm impressed by the talent involved in creating such vivid compositions. Take a moment to view Tom's website. Not only is Tom a fantastic artist, he is also an art teacher and he has given my readers a quick glance at a few of his tutorials today. His work is amazing and a tour of his virtual art gallery is an experience you won't soon forget.

Closing Late

An Interview with Artist Tom Slack....


1. Where do you do your work? Do you work from life, photographs, or from imagination?

I work from my home studio.  Two rooms are set aside.  One whole bedroom has been converted to a storage room.  My art supplies and several paintings are in there, as well as props I use to teach art classes.  The whole family room is my painting studio.  I have a glass sliding door to the back yard.  Natural light comes in through it.  I hang the works I have recently finished in there, and the last painting I've done is always hung above the fireplace.  There is plenty of room in there for me to back up and look to see how my paintings are progressing.  I have five easels, and I generally don't work specifically from my imagination.  If I have an idea in mind, such as a painting from the life of Jesus Christ, I will stage it with models and take several photos as a reference.  I do work from life if I'm doing portraits or still life.  Also, I might want to capture a scene with dramatic lighting, so I'll take photos of that because the sun moves so rapidly and the shadows and light change.

Emma

2. What moves you most in life?
Beauty moves me the most in life.  I become emotional when I see a dramatic contrast in light and shadow, in color values, or in gesture of a figure.

3. What technique do you use? 

With my painting, I generally use oil on canvas.  I do a lot of sketching with ball-point pen on paper and  I use the crosshatch method to show the shadows.

4. What do you think is the most important influence in your art? 

I began drawing as a very little boy.  It was my passion.  Later on I got my art degree from the University of Utah.  Those things gave me the foundation of my art, but the most important influence in my art has been the hours and years of practice.  Observation is the very most important thing to me.  I want to see the relationships of shapes and colors.  It is important to me to draw what I actually see, not what I think I see.

Flora Blanca

5. How important is the subject matter to your artwork? 

I don't really know how to answer this question.  I always just go with a gut feeling.  Sometimes I might be driving somewhere and see something that blows my mind.  I have to portray it somehow.  At other times, I just feel spiritually inclined to pursue a subject.  If I don't feel pretty inspired by what I'm trying to portray, it never turns out very well.                                                                                   

6. Do you work certain hours each day or only when you are inspired to work? 

I do not follow a specific work schedule.  I only work when I'm inspired to.  This may be for several hours a day or just a few hours a week.

Thank you, Tom, for the interview!

Santorini

Take a moment to view a few of Tom's art tutorials

• Tom Slack Paints A Still Life
• Quick Portrait
• Painting A Portrait