Interview: Tom Torluemke
Tom, first off your work is amazing and inspiring. Thank you so much for taking the time for this “web” interview. I know that all the members of our community and on-line viewers will appreciate this interview.
So, let’s get started:
How did you get started in art, did you always want to be an artist?
I always wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember. Two defining experiences that led the way were my Great Uncle Freddy, watched me a lot when I was a child and he was deaf and mute and he didn’t know sign language or how to read lips. So in order to communicate, we drew pictures for each other. The other experience was that my mother entered a lot of coloring and drawing contests, they were big in the 60s and I remember her spending lots of time on her creations and she won many of the contests.
How did you go about finding the first job(s)?
My first jobs were from the job board at the school that I graduated from. One was for a mural for the King David Baptist Church in Pilsen and the other was an exhibition at a gallery that was called the Monroe Street gallery, they were looking for a second artist for a two person show and they chose my work. I was entertaining the idea of teaching and I did not have a bachelors or a masters so I knew that I needed experience so I wrote several syllabi and curriculum for three different proposed classes and I submitted them to small art centers and community centers and I put an ad in the paper to teach those classes out of my studio. All of those things worked for me.
What are your creative mediums of choice?
I am very versatile, I work with oil, acrylic, watercolor and I sculpt with paper and wood. And I also do some installations. I choose my medium based on the idea.
What style of art are you a fan of and also inspired by?
Surrealism, because it opened up the door to artists imagination in such a way to allow an artist to combine recognizable things into situations that are unnatural. This leads one to the darker hidden areas of our psyche. Secondly, impressionism allowed the artist to paint scenes from everyday life without a contrived idea. It also broke the shackles of rendering that came from the renaissance, and taught us to see and paint the space and light between us and the objects we see.
What individuals in your personal life have inspired you? What have come out of those relationships?
My mom, she taught me to follow my dream and to love hard and work hard. My Dad he taught me to be idealistic, and from a sad point of view he taught me through example all the many bad things I shouldn’t do because he did them. My Daughter Amber, taught me to be responsible and insured that I am always resourceful. My life partner Linda has shown me how good love can be and always expresses her faith and admiration for me which has moved me forward positively during this present time and into the future.
Do you work on one piece at a time? Several at a time?
I don’t have any rules, sometimes one at a time, sometimes three at a time, sometimes seven at a time.
Are you constantly working, or do you take breaks for inspiration research and the like?
I am constantly working, sometimes the works are very ambitious and emotionally draining, I will work for days and weeks at a time on one strenuous theme and then I will need to take a break. The break won’t mean I stop painting, I may draw or go out and paint landscapes, something more relaxing.
I noticed that may of pieces of your artwork contain nudity in all different environments, can you elaborate on that?
Everybody has a dick or balls or a vagina and breasts, some people may have unusual versions of things. Like as I am writing this, I know a guy with one ball and he ensures me that it is a superball and I also happen to know a person in our family that has 3 balls. Anyway, sexuality is a major part of most people’s lives, it is the source of great joy and happiness, it can also be the source of sadness and aggression. It confuses me a bit why people are so uptight about seeing a mans penis and heaven forbid that it be erect and ready for action. There used to be a time, when a couple of women could be walking down the road and hear some noises coming from behind the bushes and they run over to see what’s going on and lo and behold there is a group of about 7 young men taking a break from their laboring job, maybe paving a road, anyway they take a break to go swimming in the watering hole. The women are so thrilled to see this sight, they are innocently titillated, they talk and joke with one another and continue on their way. What could possibly be wrong with that experience? I am an artist and I paint what I think about and what I see.
How do you feel about digital art vs. analog art?
An artist is allowed to use any tools they want to make their creations. Digital art, photography and film have influenced and are influencing fine art in an extremely aggressive and persistent fashion. Everything is being documented especially because of cameras on phones. Photography seems to be the new social realism. It has the potential to do good and bad, just like anything else.
What are your plans for the future?
I separate my art plans into two categories. One is the advancement of my career as it relates to becoming a famous artist. The plans are to continue to submit for shows, awards, and representation at and for better more prestigious outlets than I have already shown or have been awarded. In other words, keep scratching up the hill of loose soil. The other category relates to my work specifically, the goal has always been to get at something sincere and honest that reflects me and the times we are living in and how I think about them. And to be ready and willing to catch myself if I become prey to insincerity.
What advice would you give to any “creative” that wants to branch out and work on their own (business, art, or freelance)?
Keep and open mind, follow possibilities and opportunities that pop up by surprise. Always make goals, write them down and methodically work on them, but don’t be so tight about it that you are not having fun or that you let opportunities pass you by because you are following your plan too strictly. You should identify your strengths and weaknesses and work with them for what they are and you have to try to be the best at what you do. Always practice, work hard. Another thing that is very important, you have to develop people skills, learn to be friendly, always try to be giving, don’t always go into a place and want something for yourself, but ask yourself is there something you can do for somebody else? Always do what you say you are going to do and do it on time. In the end, know that you make mistakes, learn from them and know that art and you are not the most important things in the world.
Do you create other types of art besides painting?
I used to garden a lot, now that we have moved to a new place, I will probably be starting that up again.
Finally, tell us a bit about your biggest recognitions for your art and anyone you would like to thank for your success.
One is the commissioned artwork for the Indianapolis International Airport competition against 500 national/international artists, mural for the New Indianapolis Library, the Efroymson Contemporary Arts Fellowship, $20,000 and most recently, the solo show at the Chicago Cultural Center. First I would like to thank Linda Dorman for being so supportive and the love of my life, my daughter Amber for being so supportive during her formative years as an understanding child and two teachers, William Quast my high school art teacher for teaching me at a young age to think about ideas and come up with concepts and my college professor of painting, Eugene Hall for teaching me to find the life within the things that you paint and imbuing my artwork with that life. Also, I would like to give a very sincere thanks to all the many people that you could say are fans of my artwork, if it wasn’t for those people the artwork would have nowhere to go, besides under my bed and in which case I think the image would be a bit like the princess and the pea with the big stack of artwork rising into the sky with the bed way up top.
Thank you for your time, we appreciate it!
Author Info: Atom Groom
I founded NWICreative.org to spark interest in the hearts of artists, creatives and the like in our region online. I want nothing more than to see our creative community grow and flourish.
Love that first piece, reminds me of a very busy Dali piece, who is a fav of mine.
I admire Tom’s work very much. It is even more impressive seeing it in person. I am always struck by its honesty and the intimacy of the figurative works. If you ever have the opportunity, go to one of his shows. Or go find one of his public works.
I think it is interesting that Tom works in so many different mediums. I often hear from galleries to stick to one medium. That it will make a more cohesive body of work. But Tom’s work is recognizable as Tom’s in any medium. He has such a strong voice and intent I think the medium is just that. The message is what is most important.
It is inspiring as well to see that creating fine art can be a full-time endeavor. So often that is not the story these days.
Simply put, Tom is a great talent.
Great interview! Tom’s work reflect is refreshing in that it is ‘real’ just like he is. It is also refreshing to read about someone so dedicated to his art in a mature and thoughtful way.
Tom is a wise man. I admire not only his work, but the way he lives his life. He has been an inspiration to me for a long time.