Thom Wheeler

Thom "Tex" Wheeler makes art that springs from a joy of living and an unflinching optimism. Born in Alice, Texas in 1946, he served in the US Army Medical Corps from 1969 to 1971 before attending Sam Houston University, graduating in 1975. His art career began in Houston as a sculptor of monumental works in stone, wood, and metal, commissioned by designers and architects across the United States to create large-scale sculptures for restaurants, hotels, offices, private homes, and yachts.

In 1985 Thom left the big city for Taos, New Mexico, and his sculpture and painting took on a distinctly New Mexican theme. He creates aluminum, bronze, and copper wall sculptures that resemble giant pieces of jewelry, embellished with semi-precious stone. More recently he has taken to painting with the same sensibilities, working with a palette knife so the oils can be textured much like his metals, building thick, saturated color and complexity within simplified compositions.

Thom has gained much recognition for his religious-themed art. His fascination with history and a variety of religions leads him to mix Southwest or Native American beliefs with those of other traditions: a Celtic cross may have a Zuni bear embedded in the middle, or a butterfly might flutter onto a Star of David. Anything is possible.

A true renaissance man, Thom embraces architecture, gardening, history, and cooking with the same passion he brings to his art. Traveling throughout the United States and Europe has been a great source of joy and inspiration, a passion he shares with his wife, Lavinia.