Meet Thomas Petty | Artist & Professional Art Handler

We had the good fortune of connecting with Thomas Petty and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Thomas, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is inherent in any creative field when the work is based on your skill and style. Risk for me feels more like a motivator, to do my research, utilize all the tools at my disposable, and to stay versatile in my approach to being a successful artist. The life of a struggling artist is equivalent to the life of an entrepreneur, and in todays society you must have the mind set of both to be a successful artist. For this reason I try to practice good business with my art, building my brand using good design methods and utilizing the modern technologies and platforms available today.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The biggest challenge is certainly getting your art out there and funding yourself enough to pay the bills. Though I don’t live off my art I’ve been lucky enough to continually find art related work that has given me a lot of knowledge to use as an artist. I’ve worked for very successful artists and galleries, I’ve worked in an art bronze foundry, even art restoration. Currently I work as a professional art handler and installer for Delivery Limited in Dallas. Where I continue to learn new skills and deal with million dollar artworks. Not only has this kept me financially afloat, but all these steps in my career have and continue to help me as an artist.

As for my art itself, I’m currently building a new body work exploring the connections of nature using a pointillism technique. Each dot is similar to an atom, building with the others to create each object in the image. Hinting at the microscopic similarities that connect everything around us. The natural objects and images in my work are often inspired by cymatics and sacred geometry such as the Fibonacci sequence. My work is mostly in pen and ink, but also includes painting, screen prints, bronze sculpture, and multimedia works.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely recommend the Forth Worth Modern Art Museum. I go every other month to see new exhibitions, well worth the drive. The Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas is also one of my favorite places to visit. Its also right next to the Dallas Museum of Art, so you can visit both in one day. Lastly the Dallas World Aquarium is a must.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve certainly been lucky to have a lot of art mentors in my life that have all taught me different important skills and lessons. But when it comes to people who have had the most impact on my art career I certainly have to point to my wife Emily Potts. With us supporting each other along the way the potentials for a successful art career feels all the more realistic. I also have to give a shoutout to Gil Bruvel, a very successful artist I was lucky enough to work for after college. His knowledge and suggestions have had a very large impact on my art career and how I think about being an artist.

Website: thomaspettyart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomas.petty.art/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-petty-b57560175/