Tom Stewart

About the Artist

The inspiration for my paintings comes from my lifelong love affair with the sea. Dating back to my earliest days, I have vivid memories of taking in the vast ocean experience: the sustained roar of breaking surf, the feel of shifting sand beneath my disappearing feet, and the scintillating light amidst churning waters. I paint from such memories, almost in hopes of soothing a feeling that approaches homesickness. I generally begin a new piece of work while I am reflecting on some distant salty memory, one that had some impact on my life. Using transparent, opaque, and sometimes metallic watercolor pigments in a very spontaneous and flowing manner, the watercolor medium steers me as much as I steer it. It is non-stop decision-making ? more reacting than thinking. The textural aspects of my paintings are established first, and when all is thoroughly dry, some small representational details are added to make the fairly abstract painting more accessible. My intention is to create paintings that convey my reverence and awe for the natural world and to express our fragile nature and fleeting presence on this wondrous planet, Earth.