Tom Menihan
Working primarily with transparent watercolor and
gouache on paper, I'm basically a self-taught artist with many influences along the way.
My father, John C. Menihan, noted lithographer and painter, had the first and most profound effects. Dad was usually working in his back-yard studio and the door was usually open. He was often working on a print or a painting – there was seldom a time when he was't executing a portrait commission. He might be designing a large corporate mural or fabricating a piece of liturgical art. He designed and illustrated books; he loved typography and calligraphy. And I was the kid in the candy store, sampling everything.
John C. Menihan at 73 (1981)
Photo: Barbara Puorro Galasso
Photo: Melissa Maybee Hamel
As well as being an inspiring role model, dad introduced me to some of his artistic heroes many of whom became mine over time: NC Wyeth, Rockwell Kent, Charles Burchfield, Grant Wood, Edward Hopper, John Marin, Benton, Homer, Sargent . . . more candy. Then Don Roberts, Bill Georgenes, Dudty Fletcher, Charles Reid, and Paul George each played a significant roll in furthering my artistic journey.
Combining a longtime interest in graphic design with a fascination for the light and spontaneity of watercolor, my painting often has a calligraphic quality with an impressionistic point of view. My fascination with composition, geometry and architecture play through the work. I’m intrigued by coast lines, tree lines, roof lines and clothes lines. I love shifting atmospheric conditions.
My wife Ginny ONeil and I show our work at Two Boats Gallery, our home/studios in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. We are Artists-in-Residence at Jake’s Hotel in Treasure Beach, Jamaica during the winter months.