Thomas Schaller's love of watercolor began with an early dedication to the English landscape tradition and the French Beaux-Arts architectural discipline. Following more than 20 years as a very successful architectural designer and illustrator in New York City, he relocated to Venice, California and began to focus on fine art in 2006; his love of landscape, as well as our constructed environment, continue to inform his work in watercolor. He is particularly inspired by the idea of a "sense of place" -- the presence, memory, narrative, and especially the luminosity of the idea of buildings in both the rural and urban landscape, and he believes that the medium of transparent watercolor is unsurpassed in its ability to convey both the real and transient nature of the world around us.
Tom has long been considered one of the foremost architectural illustrators in the world. In addition to winning many other awards, he is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Hugh Ferriss Memorial Prize for excellence in the graphic depiction of architecture. He has authored two books: the best-selling -- and AIA Award of Merit winner -- Architecture in Watercolor, and The Art of Architectural Drawing. He has also lectured widely and hosted watercolor workshops. His work has been exhibited around the world, including at The Art Institute of Chicago; The American Society of Illustrators in New York City; the Aedes-East Gallery in Berlin, Germany; and in a mid-career retrospective at The Graham Foundation in Chicago, which hosts exhibits and lectures on architectural subjects.
As a fine artist, Tom has been recognized in American Artist and American Art Collector magazines. He is represented in Los Angeles by the Link Gallery, the Universal Art Gallery, and the Carter-Sexton Gallery, which will host his first one-man show in 2011. In addition to his memberships in numerous professional societies related to his architectural work, Tom is a member of AWS, NWS and the California Art Club and has been juried into recent CAC exhibitions, including their 2009 Centennial Exhibition. His work was also juried into the 2010 AWS exhibition and he will be featured in an article in the April issue of American Artist magazine.
Please visit Tom's blog to get the latest news and find links to his website and other venues.