Tom’s Photography
“Spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright”
I wanted to somehow combine a photo of the Guggenheim Museum with the image of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Nothing was working until I reduced the opacity of the FLW photo, making it more transparent which created a more ghostlike image of him.
“Full Bloom”
This arrangement of roses in a vase on a table at home caught my one day. The perfect lighting made for a wonderful distribution of lights and shadows. The dark background happened automatically.no photoshop work here at all.
“Ad Line, Inc.”
Every once in a while I’ll take a break from taking photographs in Manhattan and I would take a drive into Brooklyn. I really like the arrangement of vertical and horizontal rectangular shapes. This shot would have been far more paint worthy if it had not been an overcast day. A sunny day would have enhanced the colors and would have created a pattern of light and dark shapes making for an even more interesting scene.
“Ice 77“
Here’s another scene from Brooklyn shot minutes after the photo above. There’s quite a bit of abstraction going on in this photograph. Between the red paint on the bricks, the door with the blotch of white paint and layers of old posters along with a little graffiti thrown in for good measure.
“View of the Brooklyn Bridge”
The iconic Brooklyn Bridge sits to the left in the middle ground with a view of buildings in Brooklyn. The base of what I think is the Manhattan Bridge is situated in the foreground and to the right in a near perfect balance.
“Reid!”
This shot was taken somewhere in Manhattan. I was drawn to the red, white and blue theme of this scene.
“Standing in Line”
Me trying to get the line moving. The figures are meant to depict the lines for the soup kitchens that sprung up during the Great Depression. The display is in Washington, D.C.
“Morning on the Beach”
This beach is in Atlantic City, NJ down the Jersey shore. The overcast day and soft shapes looks like a ready made watercolor painting.
“The Steel Pier”
The world famous Steel Pier sits to the left in this photo from Atlantic City. The photo above was taken on the same day and on the same beach as the image seen here. The Steel Pier dates back to 1898 for the purpose of entertainment. Used to be a time when someone would ride a horse down to the end the pier and horse and rider together would jump into the ocean. The figure (my wife) standing very close to the right edge of the photo balances the pier and Ferris wheel on the left.
“Stuffed in a Room”
On a trip to Massachusetts one summer, my wife and I stumbled upon this house in the middle of nowhere. Each room had a different display on odd and unusual items. One room in particular had these stuffed animals that made for a rather surreal mix.
“Abandoned”
This is the same market from my oil painting, “After the Rain.” This photo shows the market at a later date and in sunshine. The awning is in further disrepair as it was in the oil painting. This photo has all the elements I like to have in a reference to paint from.
“American Wing Reflections”
This photo was taken in the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At one time this photo was a serious consideration to use as a reference for a painting. For whatever reason, it didn’t make the cut but I liked the photograph all the same.
“Kinstler and Me”
When I was President of Allied Artists of America (2006-2017) I got to know Raymond Kinstler. Allied used the National Arts Club for a time as an exhibition venue. Ray live in the National Arts Club so I got to see him on a regular basis.
“Dinkins and Me”
My wife and I attended an awards ceremony for the Andrew Goodman foundation in Harlem one year. That is where I met and got to have my picture taken with David Dinkins, former Mayor of New York City.
“Park Avenue Snow”
Leaving work one winter day on Park Avenue in Manhattan, my wife took this shot. She has quite an eye for interesting subject matter. I’ve been wanting to use this photo as the basis for a painting but have yet to do so.
“Late Afternoon, New York City”
Another photo I like very much but probably wouldn’t consider painting. If I were to do it though, I would remove the church steeple as I think it cuts in between the transition of the light on the left with the building in shadow to the right.
“Breakfast for One”
I was out shooting early one morning in Manhattan and came upon this homeless person sitting on a five gallon bucket eating breakfast. The diagonal shadows cut though the scene in a nearly perfect way.
“R & L Restaurant”
Another scene with an interesting arrangement of lights, darks and middle-tones. Featured is one of the few remaining cobblestone streets in Manhattan. They can date back to the 18th century. The ones seen here were more likely laid in the 1900’s.
“The Blue and The Grey”
The lighting in this scene looks like a stage setting more so than a real location.