Most of you may know Tom Harsevoort as a local art installer, but what you may not know is that he is a highly skilled artist. Tom has found much of his inspiration through traveling. With pen and paper in tow, he captures the Parisian culture utilizing Plein Air sketching techniques. He has been making this annual trip to France for the last fifteen years! We are excited to share our recent conversation!
Cafe Delmas and St Eustache by Tom Harsevoort, 7 x 5.5", watercolor and mixed media on paper
What is your creative process? When I am outdoors or on the streets of Paris looking for a scene, usually the first possibility that strikes me is the one that I should stop and work on. Otherwise, it’s possible to wander all day without finding the perfect motif because there is really no such thing… it’s what you bring to the picture with imagination and color choices that make it worthwhile. And sometimes this happens later, at home. To begin, I pick out a pre-tinted paper or board that seems to work with the mood of the day. Then I begin with the ink drawing, finally adding some extra color with watercolors and pastels. I like to begin with a focal point, one main little area on the page, and work outwards from there. Then if I have to stop for whatever reason, it can still work as a composition. The figures that I add are sketched in quickly, and I like to put them in for a feeling of scale, and a feeling of calm isolation.
How long have you been creating, and who influenced you the most to become an artist? My interest in art started with art classes in school, but what helped me to choose art as a serious endeavor was a friendship with a retired man in my own neighborhood growing up. He had a studio visible at the front of his house where from the street you could see his current work. Every time I would stop in for a visit he would have a new landscape painting that he was working on. He kind of solidified the idea of always having art in one’s life, with an easel, the smell of linseed and turpentine, and a big color palette. He first introduced me to Van Gogh and Corot.
Is there anything else we should know about you or your work? I am happy to share these images of Paris- where there are so many unique neighborhoods. Often local Parisians will stop to talk about the scene that I am working on and how much they love the area, and how it’s nice that I had chosen their own favorite street to be inspired by.