In the eyes of the beholder.

For someone that is a visual person and sees everything, Tom has been able to create beautiful art in an atmosphere of complete and utter chaos. Well at least to the eyes of the occasional visitor that is allowed into the inner sanctum. Even for business meetings Jolie and I enter in one door and Tom enters The Studio Door. 

There are to be no interruptions. No comments or conversations made in this space. Only a teenager’s room is more closely guarded, organized in a way only they can understand.  Perhaps artists are teenagers that never grew up.

With all other spaces of our home pretty much cleaned out and organized for the great move – only one domain was left. The studio. Only Tom can do this. And get to it he did. No one wants to hear or know about what went to the massive burn pile. No one wants to see the trashcans full of slides, photos, calendar pages, old paintbrushes, tubes of dried up watercolors, oil paints gone amok and years of ‘you’re the best teacher’ gifts.

Only Tom can handle every item. Remember its usefulness – either for his head or his technique.  Why a poster of nearly-unknown blues singer Billy  Price?  With Billy’s fist clenched and cocked, what words of strength is he sending out? Why the photos with Hoke, Rick and various cats?  Music is obviously important. 

There are hundreds of music CDs, multiple ipods, and lyrics scrawled on the doors (“No guru, no method, no teacher” – Van Morrison). Music is the wall that blocks out any chance of thought except for the reaction of arm to brush to paint.

How could anyone think straight in here!? Who knows, but in a beautiful and happy way, Tom does.