
Tom Grill
Hometown: Boca Raton
Based in: Boca Raton
Hometown: Boca Raton
Based in: Boca Raton
I have been involved with high-resolution digital photography and digital manipulation for many years. My prints combine multiple image files taken at very high resolution. They are used to create ultra-sharp photographs for mural-sized prints. My “Odyssey”, “Juxtapose”, and “Horizon” portfolio art series use this personally developed post-production technique to achieve a unique look for my printed photographic art.
I have been a commercial photographer in New York City advertising world for over twenty years where and photographed for most major ad agencies taking photographs for companies such as L’Oréal, Revlon, Clairol, and many others. For the past five years, I have lived and worked in Boca Raton, Florida where I fell in love with the Florida landscapes of the Everglades, the ocean, and weather phenomena as the main subjects of my art photography.
I call my technique “Image Architecture” where my approach to constructing the image is to first break apart a scene into component parts by taking many photographs of the scene from myriad angles – from the air, from the land, at different times of day, etc. -- then use those parts as the building blocks for reconstructing a new scene with minimalist, geometric, and architectural overtones. I have been focusing my photography on scenes of the Everglades and other subjects of natural beauty, particularly in Florida, to focus attention on its fragile, ever-changing beauty and the important role we humans play in the formula. I try to give my photographs a multi-faceted beauty that inspires participation in the ecological movement to save these preciously beautiful natural resources.
What inspires you?
The underlying structure of nature -- both its complexity and utmost simplicity at the same time.
Describe your creative process.
I sometimes think of my image style as “Photo-Cubism”, a technique of illustrating space volumetrically by moving through it to reveal alternate views of the same scene on one flat surface. In addition to the spatial reconstruction, this process adds an element of time to the works as the various components of the scene are photographed from different perspectives and different moments and later reassembled into a larger, more comprehensive experience. I strive to have the viewer participate in my exploration of the scene.
What are 3 words that best describe your work?
minimal, geometric, meditative
Who are some artists that have influenced your work?
Agnes Martin for the simple Zen geometry of her designs, Giorgio Morandi for the simple harmony of is color palette, Mary Obering for her geometric style and bold color palette
What is the most important tool when creating your work?
The unique, underlying grid pattern of each work I create
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
Less is more.
Where do you go for inspiration?
The ocean, the desert, and the mountains.
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Education
Fordham University
United States of America, 1966
Awards
Coral Springs Art Museum - Best in Show
2022
Exhibitions
Superficial Impressions - Art Serve
United States of America, 2021