About Me
Let us Enjoy our Lives With a Passion For Life. a Surfboard in a Barreling Wave. A Fast Sailboat on a Tropical Sea. A Paint Brush in Hand.
Passion is my mantra. People who know me well say passion is a great word to describe me. Painting may consume me for days and weeks at a time. My dad always taught me to be the best I can be at whatever I choose to do. My mother taught me to paint with passion, express what is in your heart, and don't worry what others think. I am a combination of my parents.
My Artist Statement
Art is a reflection of ones' soul and lifetime memories placed upon canvas or revealed in stone.
Having spent my life on or near the oceans, experiences come to life in my works.
Coral reefs disappear and species become endangered, creating my passion to inspire awareness.
My artwork comes from my heart and goes beyond mere technical prowess. It strives to find the core elements and reveal the voice within the canvas.
Time spent painting, surfing, sailing, and fishing is not deducted from your life span. Stay happy and creative!
Tom Gion pronounced (jee-own)
My Artistic History
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1970's
At the age of 10, I started surfing in Santa Cruz, and my love of the ocean began. My mother was a professional artist, painting the old Italian fishing boats of Monterey Bay.She taught me to paint, to see, and to feel color. Leaving Santa Cruz, I attended UCLA and spent a lot of quality time at the Dickerson Art Library. I worked in pastels, colored pencil,and watercolor. I often visited art museums, loving the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, the great museums of New York, and many others. Sailing apealed to me, and I was on the Olympic sailing team racing Tornado Catamarans and competed in the World Championships. Windsurfing was just starting and I competed in the World Championship racing Windsurfers as well.
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1980's-1990's
In Hawaii, I opened a surf shop on the North Shore, and did a lot of graphic design. As First Mate on a large catamaran I sailed extensively throughout the Hawaiian Islands in calm and rough seas. Abstract art on surfboards became popular. We referred to these designs as "Acid Splashes". This art was quite similar to what artists were doing except my medium was resin. This was the time some great marine artists emerged such as Chris Lassen, Robert Nelson, and Wyland. These artists played a role in shaping my art as did Chris Lundy. I painted my first ocean and marine pictures in oils. My first oil painting was of a humpback whale. Hand mixed classical glazing medium enabled bringing the painting to life.
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2000's
Painting abstracts, tropical beaches, waves and flowers have all been fun. The abstract flowers of this period are bold and bright. Georgia O'Keefe had an influence upon me and these paintings are a more vibrant "take" on flower abstraction.
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The Present
Living close to the ocean, with my wife, Kim,witnessing the bright tropical skies, brilliant turquoise waters as well as the red tides, toxic algaes, there is much to capture on canvas. Painting is a love for me. There are so many stories yet to be told with paint, brushes and canvas.