Art Chowder November | December 2016, Issue 6 | Page 26

ARTIST

John F. Thamm
John Thamm always knew he wanted to be an artist; in fact, he’s been creating since the age of six. Although large crowds put him off, he always enjoys getting together in small gatherings with family or some of his life long
friends. When he isn’t creating you may find him spending time camping with his family and dogs on the St. Joe
River, near St. Maries, Idaho. When asked what some of his favorite childhood memories were he recalled appreciating being read to by his mother when he was young and also going to boxing matches with his father, when he
was a little older. Over the decades he has been changed by many of the experiences he has had while working
as an artist, yet when asked whether he would had done anything differently, he replied with a simple no. On the
other hand, he wishes a few things were different about the art world. Specifically how the Internet is changing
how artwork is displayed, shared and sold in the present day. He acknowledges that in some ways it allows many
viewers the ability to access a tremendous amount of art very easily, however, he feels it is discouraging new art
admirers from coming to see live shows where they can actually meet the artists in person. At this point, he doesn’t
have many fears about exhibiting his own work, apart from ensuring that he has all the art ready in time to hang for
the show. He’s tried nearly every medium, but always finds himself going back to oil. When asked why he’s so fond
of working with oils, he responded,

“I like oil’s flexibility, you can use it in many ways. It dries slow compared
to acrylics or you can speed it up with an additive. You can use it thin as a glaze or
you can apply it thick. You can layer it once it dries and alter the color over time.“
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