Thomas Ford, Artist            

           Natural Images

The Third Annual 50-50 show at the 20th Street Gallery in Sacramento, California includes 70 artists and 3,500 pieces of artwork.  This juried show challenges it participants to do 50 paintings in 50 days around a theme.  Each painting is 6" X 6".

 It is best to view this show in April because sold pieces will be removed at the end of the month.  The following is the theme of "Thirty Miles" presented by Thomas Ford (click on the title to view a poster of all fifty paintings in PDF format):

Celebrating the American River Parkway

Thomas A. Ford, Artist

Each day thousands of people cross the many bridges linking the neighborhoods of Sacramento and its many suburbs, missing what lies below them.  The American River Parkway is our gem. It is a unique place where the natural environment and the urban setting find a crossing point.  Wildlife abounds.  A cyclist riding for pleasure, exercise or commuting to work along the bike trail may see deer, coyotes or wild turkeys on a regular basis.  An angler, kayaker, or rafter may see a host of other wildlife such a beavers, otters, turtles, or salmon fighting the current as they return from the sea to spawn.   A multitude of birds fill the skies and spill into the urban neighborhoods.  Tall trees canopy the forest, flowering bushes invite the stranger, and beautiful wildflowers splash color along the parkway in the spring.  Even an occasional mountain lion may be seen amidst the beautiful scenery that is laid before the visitor’s eyes.

Thomas Ford is a local artist living near the American River Parkway.  His medium is acrylic painting and the content of his paintings most often celebrates the California landscape and coastline.  He enjoys bicycling and kayaking along the parkway, which is reflected in his artwork.  The American River dominates his collection. 

“It is my pleasure to give you 50 glimpses of this treasure that we find in Sacramento and to illustrate the interaction of humans and nature within it.  Each time I visit the parkway, I am confronted with a viewpoint that presents itself differently given the angle of the sun, the condition of the weather, the time of the day, and the cycle of life.  It is my goal in this project to capture the wonder I feel each time I visit, and share that wonder with those who view my paintings.”

“I work from photographs that I have personally taken.  Given the limitations of my photographic skills, my goal is to interpret the photographic image with my own personal memory and emotions within my paintings.  I am most intrigued by capturing light at specific times of the day, the angle of the sun within the time of the year, and the condition of the weather.”