About/History
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE: The damaged murals of the apostles in need of repair. Located on the vaulted ceilings of the Cathedral St. John in Lafayette, Louisiana. They were part of an ongoing renovation and partly patched-over with new coats of plaster when I arrived on the job. (photo)
HISTORY: My grandfather was an artist and owner of Jacoby Studios, a stain glass company in St. Louis, Missouri. My father and uncles worked there, as well as other artists and craftspeople. It was an interesting setting for a young artist. I remembered all the colored glass samples in the windows and the stain-glass panels in various stages of production out in the shop. I remember my grandfather sketching ideas in his office and talking about various jobs and projects with my father. I would watch my uncle score glass and assemble windows. It’s here in these surroundings that sparked my creativity and where I discovered my interest and knack for art. I went on to study painting and drawing at Layton School of Art & Design in Milwaukee. In 1980, I moved to New Orleans and began working as a painter and portrait artist on Jackson Square. Conrad Schmitt Studios, a stained-glass and church decoration company from Wisconsin, would hire me to do decorative and restorative work in Churches; hence the Apostles and my introduction.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS since my early days; gifted and sought-after interior decorators from New Orleans and New York have hired me for various projects large and small. Publishers of books and magazines have photographed my work, Architectural Digest, March 2017. Beautiful Garden & Gun, February 2022 with Melissa Rufty. Independent film companies have contracted me for detailed work where the close-up-shot matters. I was featured on New Old House demonstrating one of my techniques.
AN AWARD WINNING artist, I strive to create work that imparts a sense of warmth and believability. I have been fortunate to have my decorative finishes in many beautiful homes and to have befriended and delighted many with my talent.
THIS WEBSITE is an introduction and a small portfolio of my work.
Tom
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