Tom Gross Wildlife Artist was born 1952 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

I spent my first almost 9 years living in town. Read moreTom Gross Wildlife Artist was born 1952 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

I spent my first almost 9 years living in town. In the winter of 1961 we moved to the country. The whole world opened up for me. Roaming across hard crusted snow through the fields with my B.B. gun, and spending lots of time in a large swamp during the summer. This is where I developed a deep love of nature. But of course also loved to play baseball, and hockey at a rink that was across the field from our back door. Summers were endless, no parents or daycare obsessed with keeping you safe.

I completed my first painting my senior year in high school. A gray blustery sky, a field of brown grasses, a lone oak and a flock of blackbirds. I had no formal training, and so I began to paint a variety of subject matter teaching myself.

I settled on Wildlife in 1981. I entered the 1983 MN. Duck Stamp for the first time and I was thrilled to finish in a tie for 6th place.

This gave me confidence, with no training in anything really. I had been working as a custodian at Ramsey county human services. I was married with a son Tom Jr, who was 3. We lived in a one room apartment. I was determined to paint and win the duck stamp. By the grace of God and hard work, I did. I won the 1984 MN Duck Stamp, with 3 Wood Ducks in fall. I nearly fainted when I saw and heard my name called.

To say I was honored would be an understatement. Competing against the likes of David Maass, Terry Redlin, Ron Van Gilder and numerous other notable artists. We were able to move into a house with a good sized yard that was good for all of us.

I entered again for the 87 stamp and finished third. After this I entered off and on getting in to the finals a couple more times, but I was really working on full-scale waterfowl paintings. Things went well until 1991 when my wife at the age of 37 went home to be with the Lord. My sales began to drop and by 1994 I had to stop painting to pay the bills. In 1995 I worked at a noise factory on a rotating shift for 2 ½ years. With some experience running a machine I was able to secure a 1st shift job in 2002 in a better place.

I remarried and I was happy, I really did not even think about painting until my wife asked me to do a Black bear paining for her. I thought well I can give it a try and in 2005 after 10 years without picking up a brush, I thought I really did a nice job.

The paining entitled “Day dreaming” turned out to be the first of a series that I am still working on today. ”Wood Ducks to Wilderness”. less

A Taste Of Summer In The Northwoods - Bull Moose By Tom Gross	Fire And Ice - Grizzly Bear By Tom Gross
Morning Stretch - Common Loon Family By Tom Gross	Serenity In The Snowy Solitude - Canada Lynx By Tom Gross
Silent Visitor - Great Gray Owl By Tom Gross	The Monarch And The Messenger By Tom Gross
Twilight Hunters - Great Horned Owl By Tom Gross