Bio
ABOUT THOMAS...
A Springfield, Ohio native, Thomas Harwood is a highly respected Ohio painter. Mr. Harwood graduated with a degree in fine arts from Ohio University in 1968, where he majored in painting, printmaking and art history.
Mr. Harwood taught art in the Springfield Local School District and was a summer art instructor at Wittenberg University as well as an art and art ethics instructor at the Springfield Museum of Art and an adjunct community college in Prescott, Arizona. In 1972 he joined his father at Springprint Paper Products and became part of a four-generation printing tradition. In 1985 he became its President.
As a painter, Mr. Harwood is well-traveled and paints the American scene. Great old barns, moss-coated bridges, open fence gates shadowed by overhanging oaks, deserted school buildings, churches bright with hope, sycamores towering above a fast-running brook are all subjects that are viewed by his keen eye and painted with his sure hand. His latest series, "Faith in our Fathers" features similar styles.
Mr. Harwood's paintings and prints may be found in private collections both in the U.S. and abroad.
A CLOSER LOOK...
HIS EARLY LIFE AND INSPIRATION
Thomas Harwood was born in Springfield, Ohio. His Grandfather, Walter Evans, was a commercial artist and illustrator. A love of Art in general, and his paintings in particular, was always encouraged in his family. This was especially true with his parents. So too was a love of nature. Long walks along the Little Miami River, Rocky Point, and other scenic locations in Ohio taught Thomas how to see water, streams, rocks, trees, color, shapes, negative/positive spaces and sunlight with an Artist’s eye. Alongside this, his Grandfather Evans taught him how to frame a view, draw it on paper, and paint what he saw in these landscapes.
THE ARTISTIC JOURNEY
From an early age Thomas loved to paint and draw. He had always been attracted to nature and would spend long hours studying art book pictures of famous painters. Early on, he was especially drawn to landscapes and would try to copy some of the styles he saw using what materials he had to work with. Because of this, his first oil paintings were on old blinds or on painted plywood scraps. While Thomas studied figure painting and the human anatomy, he knew he wanted to interpret nature, and man’s relationship to nature, by painting landscapes.
ARTIST INSPIRATIONS
Thomas has been a student of the paintings by Monet, Seurat, Homer, Sisley, and Wyeth.
MEDIUMS AND TECHNIQUE
As an American Impressionist Landscape painter, Thomas is most comfortable painting in watercolors and oils. Harwood’s approach to watercolor and oil painting is a very ‘painterly’ technique. This means he does not usually paint in transparent washes. Harwood likes to build up the pigments; layering colors and accents while using small brushwork for accents. He often moves from dark into light, trying to create drama and mystery while giving the viewer a choice. The objective is to draw the viewer into the painting, making the viewer decide whether they would open the gate, enter the clearing, or explore the light.
EDUCATION
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BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) Degree, Ohio University 1968 majoring in Painting and Printmaking with a minor in English
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Studied Education, Wittenberg University 1968
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Along with these formal examples, Thomas always loved to draw and paint. Even from the earliest years, he loved colors, shapes and how changing light can influence colors, moods and objects.
AFFILIATIONS
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Springfield Museum of Art
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American Watercolor Society
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Ohio Art League
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Ohio Watercolor Society
In addition to being an accomplished artist, Mr. Harwood also is a sought-after speaker and educator. He is available for speaking engagements, and can be retained for instructional workshops. His areas of expertise and passions are listed below for your reference. However, upon consultation, he can also speak on a variety of other related topics.
POTENTIAL SPEAKING TOPICS
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Ethics in Art – Acceptable ethical standards and behavior for art students, amateurs and professional painters
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An American Impressionist Landscape Painter’s View of the World
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Proper Business Practices for Artists
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Principles of Watercolor and Oil Painting
EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
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Adjunct Faculty, Coconino Community College, Prescott, Arizona
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Art Teacher, Springfield Local Schools (elementary, middle school and high school), Springfield, Ohio
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Art Instructor, Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, Ohio
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Art Instructor, Sedona Art Center, Springfield, Ohio
HARWOOD’S SIGNATURE STYLE
Harwood grew up in the printing industry; his family owned a printing company and he understood the process of four color offset printing from an early age. Thomas has been influenced by the process of overlaying cyan blue, magenta red and pure yellow to create a wide range of colors. Black, then, is used to deepen a color creating hue and color values thereby adding depth-of-field to the image. Harwood approaches painting in a similar way.
SERVICES
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Private Works of Commissioned Art
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Mr. Harwood invites inquiry for private commissions of original works of art.
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Contact him at 330-675-9665 or thharwood@gmail.com.
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Teacher and Educator
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Art History, Art Philosophy, and Painting in Watercolor and Oils
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Speaker and Lecturer
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The Business of Selling Original Works
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Fine Art Appraisals