By Mark Ambrogi
Tomas Howie started drawing and painting in grade school.
The 59-year-old Fishers resident then put it aside for several years before picking it back up in the 1990s.
“I moved to the Indianapolis area in 2000 and have been involved in the local arts scene since then,” Howie said.
Howie’s work will be displayed with that of several other artists who will have exhibits at the Flight of Fancy show. The opening reception will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 7 at Indiana Landmarks Center’s Rapp Family Gallery, 1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis. The work will be on display until Oct. 31.
“I’m going to be displaying landscapes, all recent within the last 12 months,” Howie said. “They’re all oil on canvas. I’m eager to see the response.”
Howie creates charcoal portrait drawings on commission. Right now, his concentration is landscapes.
“They’re impression painting, mostly oil, sometimes acrylic,” Howie said.
Lately, he has started getting into iPhoneography.
“It’s a fascinating medium,” Howie said. “You can take pictures with your iPhone, then buy apps from Apple, which are fairly inexpensive, and then you use those apps to edit your photo. It’s become quite a thing. My landscaping paintings and my charcoal paintings are what I focus on most.”
Howie does most of his work in a home studio.
“It’s something that I love to do, and I feel fortunate that there are people that love my work and are willing to buy it and put it on their walls,” Howie said. “I’d say half of the work I’ve done in the last 15 years has sold. “
Although he’s a full-time artist, he’s also a part-time musician. Howie has played the drums for 50 years. He recently joined Fontaine, which performs original music.
For more of Howie’s artwork, visit tomashowie.com.
