Profile
I've always been interested in automobiles. In 1957, at the age of 12, I began collecting car magazines and car models, and started drawing cars. It was common for me to go through a ream of paper in just two weeks.
I received my first "hand-me-down" car from my father when I was 14 years old and painted it with a really wild paint job using paint in spray cans. Throughout High School I did automobile art for my friends. I put flames, scallops, and pin-stripes on their cars as well as doing "Wierdo"-type tee-shirts kind of like the ones popularized by Ed "Big-Daddy" Roth.
In '66 I caught the sports car bug and owned a couple of sports cars. As an art student at University of Wisconsin, my intricate painting on my VW "bug" was the ticket to an "A" on my Art final. Marriage in the early '70's, with kids following soon after, turned my passion for cars to utilitarian. My goal was just to make it from here to there for a while. But even the "beaters" had custom paint jobs.
I began giving more time to drawing cars again in 1976, gradually increasing production to a couple of paintings every few months. I entered my first art competition in 1981 and won a Merit Award which gave me incentive to kick off a professional career. Many fine-art competitions, juried and one-man shows in various museums and galleries followed over the years, accompanied by many prestigious awards as well as inclusion in a number of well-known private and corporate collections. In 1985 I began to exhibit in automotive shows, expanding my involvement as I had opportunity.
I still find time to dabble with collector cars. Currently I have a '51 Pontiac. I get some of my best ideas driving the outback roads and old two lane hi-ways. The family and I enjoy driving in the "Chief" often as we tour or cruise the country-side.
In 1994 I was honored to receive a Par Excellence Award at the International Aviation Art Competition in Oshkosh, WI. And finally, in 1997, I was presented with a most beautiful trophy for being awarded "Automotive Artist of the Year". This wonder piece of art was created and hand-crafted by the famous street rod fabricator, Dan Webb.
I enjoy all aspects of the automobile and am glad to have the chance, through my art, to give back some of the enjoyment I've had in the past.
Thom Petersen
What others have to say about me.. An excerpt from Auto Art Magazine, December 1995.
Thom Petersen brings the classic and nostalgic cars of the past into clear focus in his Fine Art paintings.
He has created an airbrush technique that allows him to build paintings layer upon thin layer, developing a depth in reflections that rival the reflections seen in person.
It is Thom's ability to bring the viewer into his works, releasing their imaginations and challenging their perceptions of what they are seeing, that accounts for their celebrity.
Although his handi-work has been described as near photographic, Thom sees it as a blend of realism and surrealism along with a bit of abstract impressionism thrown in for good measure.
His artwork is mainly done in acrylics. Approximately 80 percent is done with an airbrush and 20 percent with fine brushwork. Thom's attention to detail makes for crystal clear images brought to life with vivid color, a treat for the eye.