Thomas M. Tomc is exuberant about the history and process of making art. He synthesizes traditional and modern techniques as well as philosophy in his artwork. Landscapes whether urban or pastoral and still lives either traditional or industrial are where he devotes his attention. Tomc paints and draws from direct observation in which he explores his surrounding environment. Thus "en plein air", he observes an alley from a roof top or a shore line from a stand of trees. He, in fact, stages his still lives as dioramas and places them outdoors to take full advantage of the natural light and what it offers.
Tomc is a native Chicagoan whose art education began at the Academy of Arts. He completed a his undergraduate work at the Kansas City Art Institute where he was a Thomas Hart Benton Scholar. In 1993, he received his MFA from American University where he was a Morris Lewis Scholar. His growth as an artist can be attributed to the influences of his mentors, Wilber Niewald and Stanley Morris and his studies with Rackstraw Downes. Through the Masters Program at the Chautauqua Institute, he studied with Leland Bell and Lennart Anderson. He has shown his artwork locally as well as nationally.