The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond,  to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.

Thomie Timmons

Thomas Timmons
Home 1352 Shelby Cirlce County: Licking
REYNOLDSBURG Ohio 43068 United States Cell Phone: 6145652277 Website: Looking Up . . . getting lost in the clouds.

Bio

Dr. Thomie Timmons is an artist and educator whose work explores the intersections of perception, patience, and the “we” of shared experience. With a career spanning over three decades in art education and educational leadership, Thomie’s studio practice is informed by a deep academic and intuitive understanding of visual literacy. His approach to watercolor was shaped by significant early influences, most notably the work of his mother, Mary Francis Timmons, and his introduction to the medium by Columbus artist Leland McClelland.
 

A graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design (BFA) and The Ohio State University (BAE, MAE), Thomie later earned a Doctoral Degree in Education from Miami University, focusing on educational leadership and social justice. After 35 years of shaping the artistic and intellectual lives of others, he has returned to the studio to focus on the essential, meditative act of “looking up.”

 
Thomie’s current body of work, a series of non-orientational watercolor cloudscapes, grew from a foundational childhood memory of lying in the grass beside his mother “getting lost in the clouds.” This ritual taught him that observation is an active, patient, and collaborative process. By utilizing the serendipitous nature of watercolor, Thomie creates images that defy fixed orientation, inviting the viewer to physically participate in the work by rotating the piece to discover their own forms within the clouds. Today, his work serves as both a challenge and a sanctuary, asking the viewer to slow down, breathe, and engage in a “we” moment.

Artist Statement

I remember clearly, as if we’re yesterday, laying in the cool grass on a hot summer day
looking up into the sky. Laying next to my mother, she would say, “Do you see anything
yet?” There was always an expectation of something taking shape in the clouds. This was an
activity we did often when I was younger. A friend of mine said she did the same thing as a
child and called it, “Getting lost in the clouds.”

Two things this activity taught me. Expectation and patience go hand in hand and bring a certain calm
observation that allows you to begin to see objects appear and disappear formed by the mist of clouds.
Sometimes other people can see what you see, sometimes the clouds shift before they do. Other times they
see something else or nothing at all. The joy of having the shared experience is the “we” of things. This calm
and “we” are states of mind that happen when you get lost in the clouds. They are lessons I hope to share in
my art of looking up.
I choose watercolor specifically for its unpredictability in creating these cloudscapes. The medium requires a
release of control, allowing for moments of serendipity where the pigment and water find their own form. Each
painting is captured from the perspective of looking directly upward as if the viewer was laying on the
ground—a vantage point that removes the traditional constraints of horizon, top, or bottom..
I invite the viewer to orient the painting as they wish, or even change it according to their whim. I intentionally
misalign my signature and title to signal to the viewer that the work is non-orientational. I invite you to rotate the
piece, to find your own shapes within the cloudscape, and to orient the work according to your own whim.

While each title reflects the first image I perceive upon a painting’s completion, my ultimate intent is the ‘we’
moment—a shared experience of participation where the viewer’s eyes complete the work. Take a deep breath
and calm your mind, be expectantly patient and let your eyes see what the cloudscapes give. If someone is
with you, share what you see; have a “we” moment. There are no expectations; see what you need to see.