I was born January 19, 1950 in a house in Villa Park, Illinois. One month late, during a raging snowstorm. We moved from New Jersey to Oregon, and points in between through my school life. My dad worked the paper industry, so we moved in approximation to paper mills accross the northern states. Our home always had a good supply of paper. I've drawn as long as I can remember. Paper - what a glorious inovation. Biodegradable cell phones.
My first acknowledgement as an artist came in first grade. We were asked to draw our breakfasts. Attention was given to my drawing, because my toast looked buttered. I've been doing art for attention ever since.
I was into photo-realism from first through third grade. Into expressionism from fourth on to junior high. (Though occassionally drawing graphic army pics to please my buddies). Then I went styless into High School. Focusing on techniques, materials, space, etc. checking out art history.
Two excellent High School art teachers helped me get into college. University Puget Sound Northwest school of PaintersZen influenced, Organzo, paint making, canvas shredders. Much integrity. Check out Mark Toby.
On to Arizona State. Architectural, Frank Lloyd Wright, Paolo Soleri, desert rose, cactus, sculpture, and Dr. Harry Woods.
Dr. Harry Woods, greatest teacher in my art life. Broke your static mind open like an egg on an Arizona side walk and watched if cook into new forms.
For thirty five years he dropped a 3x5 card on the desk in front of every student and said "draw a line on your card". Every one did. He hung the cards, and analyzed them. Mine flipped him out. "In thirty five years, no one has ever drawn their line off the card, who ever did this will certainly be a famous artist". This is coming from a doctor of Art History. In other words, he knew his shit. From that moment mt persuit has been art. Not attention. I know the attention was inevitable. So I knew I could feel free to follow the line off the card.
Though I had Dr. Woods for four more semesters of drawing, I was focused on 3-D. Sculpture.
Two years in Arizona and then on to University of Illinois. Sculpture, clay, glass. Back to materials, limitations, the tech around the materials.
Two years there, then onto the Art Institute of Chicago. Working sculpturally, some drawings. Mainly soaking in Chicago, the phenominal numbers of visiting artists. Video, sound, painting, sculpting, performing, conceptual, etc., etc. A lot of education and...my first tattoo. Done by Cliff Raven, video by Phil Morten and crew. Image processed by Phil, and put into the schools visiting Artist Data bank. Developed by Phil, perpetuated today. This video can be viewed under the tattoo section of my site.
I was touched. I left the school two months later, at the end of a two year contract. I left in persuit of tattoo equipment. Found some a couple of years later, thirty five years ago now. Went through a long hard learning process, while also painting, drawing, and making sculptures.
Moved my family to Denver twenty-five years ago and set up shop tattooing for a living. Painting and working 3-D were a hard time.
I am now semi-retired from tattoing, and painting art a lot.
Inventions of detailing life stories in my Storytelling section. I have shined shoes, worked in factories, grocery stores, landscaping, driven taxis in Manhattan, building houses, sailboats, faught forest fires, gandy danced on the railroad, cowboyed, motor-cycled, and walked from one end to the other.
With every step I have taken, I have understood my self to be an artist - whom will one day be famous.So it has been important for me to make sure I am taking it one step beyond. To know the path art has taken and to make sure I take it off the card.
Thank you for looking at my site.
home | artist | inventor | storyteller | tattoo | contact us
©2005-2012 Tom Cross Gallery Inc.