Tom Schukar

My artistic subject matters are the experiences of a life long outdoor enthusiast. Born and raised in Colorado a good portion of my life has been spent roaming, hunting and fishing this great state. Particularly in the Rocky Mountain regions. Rather than watching from a distance, I’ve always preferred getting into the thick of it.  Being in the forest rather than viewing it from a distance, exploring what’s over the next hill rather than just looking at the top, wading in the river to find that next trout rather than sitting on the river bank. These are the experiences I know and need to paint. 

My art processes and techniques directly reflect my experiences and exploration of the outdoors. I like exploring with different techniques and tools. My paintings mostly reflect that in the thick of it closer view rather than a distant glimpse. When I happened upon Oil and Cold Wax as a medium my future direction was determined. I don’t think any other medium can project the complexity of the real outdoor environment. It’s ability to capture natures detail is extraordinary.

I’m not a plein air painter, nor do I paint from photographs. I like abstracting the paint on paper in some form of composition and color scheme and then finding my subject matter in the paint. A mostly intuitive and exploratory process guided by my personal experiences and enthusiasm for the Colorado outdoors. The results are usually a view of reality alongside a bit of abstraction. And I sometimes see subjects in the paint that are a welcome surprise.

Tom Schukar