Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tom Colcord. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tom , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I became really passionate about painting during high school and decided to major in it at IU Bloomington for my undergraduate degree. I’ve probably re-learned to paint about 10 times or so, but I first gained a sense of unique approaches to painting from the professors I had at IU. Looking back, I realize that I could have possibly sped up the learning process by focusing more on the fundamentals when I first started. However, I don’t think there’s any point in dwelling on that question. It’s about the journey, not the destination.

The most essential skills in painting, in my opinion, are the ability to think for yourself and create something that truly reflects your own perspective on canvas. It’s also crucial to be open to receiving feedback, even if it’s painful, as it leads to the most growth. Another essential skill is being willing to challenge yourself. Change is important for artists.

Some obstacles that initially stood in my way were finding enough time to paint. Balancing day jobs and other obligations can often limit painting time. Additionally, a significant obstacle for me at the time was being located in Indiana. I believe exposure to art is crucial for artists, and I didn’t have access to many galleries and museums like I do now in San Francisco.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an artist specializing in painting Located in San Francisco. I have an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. My paintings range in style from plein air landscape to large sized surrealistic works that comment on the subjectivity of our perceptions.

Each painting I create, I create because its meaningful to myself. I set out to do it because I am inspired, curious, or feel I will be challenged in someway. I have found that the relationship that I have to a painting I make is almost always different from how a collector might see things. Many of the people who have collected and looked at my work have had many different interpretations from my own and I find that inspiring. I enjoy creating things that people can react strongly to. Often how the viewer will react to something may change how I see a painting for myself. Its a fascinating conversation.

I am most proud of my large scale paintings. Lots of planning as well as experimentation goes into them. I love the challenge of making something new and impressive.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I use painting to explore the nature of our consciousness.

I view my mind as another limb; an evolutionary adaptation that can run simulations based on past experiences in order to help prepare me for future trials and gain awareness of danger. Past, present, and future exist inside the mind as one, allowing us the unique capacity to create fictions in order to navigate and explain the world around us.

To capture the most objective reflection of the mechanical functions of the mind possible, I
collage disparate interior and exterior elements with the goal of creating an image that feels logical yet illusive. This results in a landscape of mind that mimics the inherent subjectivity of our perceptions; illustrating how the reality we construct in our mind may complete the reality we experience, but is discriminate based on our morphing beliefs, memories, and ideas.

I feel the landscape is the most appropriate mode of painting to discuss the mind because it can suggest vastness, fullness, and emptiness simultaneously. Much in the same way the impressionists used light to capture a moment in time, I aim to use these paintings to capture a sincere reflection of the mind.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love that painting is spiritual fulfilling. Its great that it can make me money from time to time but I really feel as though creating art that expresses (or is about) nature gets me closer to what theologians might call “God.” Being able to share this gift with my community is a reward in and of itself.

I spend a lot of time painting outdoors in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. While doing so I am often visited by people strolling by and have met had lots of interesting conversations as a result. People both astound and inspire me. Here’s just a few instances that I have recorded as an example:

• George – who after a successful career in real estate, wrote and illustrated a book about the origins of “The New Thought Movement” that the New Though Movement then paid him 700,000 dollars not to publish.

• Annie, an elderly woman who visited me with her dog Charlie every single morning. Charlie almost always had a neon yellow tennis ball in his mouth

• A young man running for mayor. We discussed the housing crisis at length.

• Countless lost tourists looking for either the bathroom or for directions.

• Chris – a “willfully homeless” man who claimed to be a founding member of a “semi-well known hard rock band” from the 80s and 90s. I didn’t find out the name of his band because he was soon chased out of the park by a gang of troublemaking youths on scooters.

• Two small boys named Chris and Evan (6 and 3) who had recently moved from St. Louis. The younger one (Evan) was obsessed with me and wanted to see what I was doing but was too short. His older brother kept having to lift him up so that he could see my painting.

• The former financial aid advisor from the San Francisco Art Institute. We gossiped about people we knew from our time there.

• Countless older white women asking me where to find art classes in the city.

• Tons of people who also claimed to be artists. Or, people who want to tell me about their friend who is also an artist.

• Charlotte, a recently retired art teacher from Chicago visiting her best friend in San Francisco.

• A woman who was passionate about felting. She was wearing a sweater that she felted her self while explaining the process of making it to me.

• A young homeless guy who, while stripping down from winter coat to gym shorts, advised me on how to market my “images” to DJs.

• Robert, a fellow painter who makes large scale portraits of Steph Curry shooting 3s.

• Simon, who to my great pleasure, chatted with me at length about the difference between painting from life and painting from a photograph. I later found out he was SimonBullArt on Instagram and if I had known that before I met him I would have been starstruck.

• Cyrus, a well meaning but very twitchy young man who paced a lot as he chatted with me. He wanted advice on how to market his mothers “tribal mask” art and and kept saying that he didn’t want to “ramble on” but kept circling back to talk to me more. He left going the same direction he came.

• Outside the DeYoung I was approached by a several dozen children on a field trip. It started out with just one or two but I quickly had a group of 30 elementary school age children watching me paint, asking me questions and giving lots of compliments! Their teacher kept trying to shoo them away from me, clearly uncomfortable with his kids talking to a stranger. They ran around the area for half an hour before they went into the museum for their field trip. When they got out an hour later they approached me again and complimented my progress. One of them told me that my painting was better than the ones they saw in the museum!

• A young man who told me he traveled up and down the coast, visiting different towns and cities making videos of his adventures for TikTok. As he took my picture, he said he might put me in one of them. I told him I only had Instagram. He couldn’t have been more than 20.

• Bill, who asked me if I had heard of this guy on TV called “Ross”. You mean “Bob Ross?” I asked. “Yes!” he said, then told me all about how amazing he thought “Ross” was.

• There are lots of people sneaking up behind me to take photos of what I am doing. This doesn’t bother me as much as it used to (the first dozen or so times it felt like a violation) now I often just turn to face their cameras and give the goofiest smile that I can.

• A man who was wearing the exact same outfit that I was! (Blue Jeans and a grey Colombia brand fleece) He also turned out to be a painter.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tomcolcord.com
• Instagram: @tomcolcordart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065241976207