Tom Menczel

Painter

Tom Menczel arrived in Edmonton from Budapest, Hungary in 1957 as a child refugee of The Hungarian Uprising of 1956 with his parents and his two year old sister.  Film was the tool that Tom and his father used to learn English.  They visited movie theaters once a week and saw many films of varied genres, including Tom's favorite at the time:  Westerns.

Movies, books and comics became Tom's early inspirations, and as a child, he storyboarded many of his favorite movies.  This was his first venture into the art world.

In high school, Tom became interested in Theatre, and upon graduation, he went to the U of A to train as an actor, and later as a Drama teacher.  Tom spent over 33 years as an actor, director, and teacher;  all the while drawing and painting the stories that inspired him. His subject matter as always are the derivatives of life film, novels and the theatre.

Tom brings his theatrical skills to painting.  He casts the characters,designs the sets and costumes, provides props, and he stages these ingredients to produce the drama in each of his pieces,  whether they be illustrative, figurative, or portrait.

Mood as expressed through light and shadow, color, body position,  and facial expression is an important ingredient in Tom's paintings.  Mood is essential in setting the scene.  there are a number of artists who have influenced this in Tom's style, including Rembrandt, the grand master of light and shadow.  In fact, he and Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael, Bouguereau, and John Singer Sargent influenced Tom to paint realistically.

Len Gibbs and Norman Rockwell inspired Tom to stage his pieces.  It was the combined influence of Rockwell and Edward Hopper that guided Tom into the land of the narrative.  Tom hugely identifies with a Hopper quote:

"I mostly walk around looking for ideas.  I don't find many.  When I get too discouraged, I may drop into a movie."

Tom's most recent influencer is Tim Okamura.  His contemporary portraits of the New York street scene inspired an intriguing venture into the Hip Hop world.  Tom has begun experimenting with in his paintings.

 In 2016, Tom was commissioned to paint the portrait of the 15th Premier of Alberta, David Hancock. The painting hangs in the Gallery at the Alberta Legislature.

The paintings of Tom Menczel are represented by Rowles & Company, Corporate Gift and Art Gallery, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.