Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Petty.
Hi Thomas, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I would visit a lot of museums and galleries as a kid. I’d always be creating, building, drawing. I’ve kind of always had a hunch I wanted to be an artist most of my life. The most difficult part being figuring out how to do that and make a living. I took a lot of art classes through high school and college, eventually getting a BFA in Design from Texas State. Thinking I’d make design and do art on the side. But, realistically I did not like design at all and this was not a good career fit for me. I did however apply a lot of the skills in design I learned to my art career such as designing my website, branding, networking, etc. I was lucky enough right after I graduated to work for an artist named Gil Bruvel. Who really gave great insight on how to make your art your business, and different ways to survive in the art world. Sense then I’ve worked on my own art while working in many different areas of the art community including, foundry work, framing, restoration. I’m currently working as a fine art handler and installer for Delivery Limited here in Dallas, while my wife Emily gets her Master’s in sculpture at UNT.
We are working towards eventually having our own studio space to work out of, and being able to make a living teaching and sharing our work.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being an artist is always a struggle. With endless challenges that are often unexpected. I’d say the main struggle is learning as much as you need to know to be a successful artist. Especially for those of us who can’t afford to hire help. Learning how to do things on your own becomes very important. The world of art materials, media, and what people are interested in is ever-changing. Being aware of this and up to date can be overwhelming but is important for success as an artist. It hasn’t been a very smooth road so far and I don’t expect it to ever be, but I’m okay with that and enjoying it regardless.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My artwork revolves around nature and its patterns. How similar shapes and designs make up the world around us from the micro to the macro form. It melds sacred geometry, science, and nature to tell a story with hidden visual connections for the viewer to discover. Though I sculpt, paint, and enjoy mixed media my most recent works have been pointillism drawings made entirely of dots. I not only like working in this technique for its ability to draw and shade simultaneously, but I really enjoy the comparison of dots to atoms making up the image as they do in real life. I’m also currently expanding to working with pointillism on wood, and building found wood frames around my works. Eventually, the plan is to expand these drawings into also being more sculptural objects. I’m just allowing this collection to evolve, hopefully in such a way that the viewer can follow once my new set of works is displayed altogether.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
My favorite thing about Dallas is the architecture and obviously visiting all the museums and galleries it has to offer. The Art and Design districts are great places to visit and checkout. For dislikes the roads getting to places are often pretty bad, not to mention the traffic… But the destinations are usually worth it.
Contact Info:
- Email: tommpetty8@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.thomaspettyart.com/
- Instagram: Instagram.com/thomas.petty.art
