Tom LaRock

I retired from a career in Mechanical Engineering  in 2013 and took up painting, a passion of mine since I was a child.  I  moved to New York City to train in the techniques of the masters of  representational drawing and painting.

New York uniquely provided access to many  opportunities to view and obtain concentrated instruction in the  creation of fine art.  I was and continue to be inspired by the artistic  environment in New York where the recent resurgence in the creation of  realistic art by contemporary masters is thriving.  Many schools,  ateliers and studios of artists who paint, sculpt and instruct in the  realistic styles of the European and American masters of the 18th and  19th centuries have been established.  The realization that concentrated  study was going to be necessary to get me to the next level of artistic  excellence led me to New York and to a studio where I could work full  time in the study and practice of realistic painting.       

I had the unique opportunity to obtain this level of instruction at the studio of master artist and instructor Joshua LaRock (www.joshualarock.com).   Joshua is my son and his studio at the time was located on East 23rd  street in the heart of the “Flat Iron District” of New York City.  In  addition to the blessing of receiving artistic instruction and working  alongside my son for three years, I received incredible exposure and  training in classical methods.   

In January 2016 I returned to The  Woodlands, Texas to continue to study and work full time; creating oil  paintings in the realistic and classical style of contemporary masters  and other masters from the 18th and 19th centuries.  I endeavor to  produce art that tells a story in a timeless manner and compels the  viewer to consider the beauty, truth and goodness in people and the  world in which we live.