“In Sausalito, where I grew up, there wasn’t a cowboy or Indian to be seen. Still I wanted Wyatt Earp, as Hugh O’Brian played him on TV to be my dad. How was I to know that all those shows were fictional?”

This lack of real life cowboys or Indians in Ross’ youth has been more than compensated for by his art which depicts the historical folk heroes of the American West in a unique context. Thom’s art challenges the viewer to re-analyze what he or she knows about history or what he or she thinks they know about history. Indians playing golf, ping-pong, croquet; General Custer riding off while balancing a table on his head; Sheriff Pat Garrett standing with shotgun in hands bracing against the cold of a wintry New Mexico morning–these are a few of the startling images depicted in Ross’ paintings.

Besides creating reactions of wonder in the viewer, Thom’s goal is to contemporize classic Western events and characters from a sometimes ill remembered or misinterpreted past by his use of vivid colors, abstract shapes, and a modern flair.

Although Thom’s love and knowledge of historical characters and events is deep, he prefers to paint them with a liveliness, spontaneity, and fresh approach rarely exhibited in traditional Western art. As a result, the viewer can more easily re-examine these characters and events, often leading to an “interpretation” or “meaning” that is more fluid and consequently, more complex.

An excellent raconteur of stories and lore often depicting footnote yet fascinating events in our history, Thom’s passion for his subject matter and his work is self evident. Environmental installations, which have always been important elements in Thom’s work, are glowing examples of this passion. He recently painstakingly recreated two historical events–The Battle of the Little Big Horn and Buffalo Bill’s 1902 visit to Ocean Beach in San Francisco–by creating life size figures of hundreds of the original participants and placing them in historically accurate positions and locations.

Ross’ work is in private and public collections throughout the United States. Thom currently creates where he lives, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Thom was named “BEST ORIGINAL PERIOD WESTERN PAINTER’ for 2012 by “True West” magazine.

For more information or to purchase work please call 406-721-3154