Artist Statement

Tom Cannady

A Louisville native, I was the 1st born grandson of both parent’s families. Both of my Grandmothers introduced me to their respective family “picture boxes” and it is likely where my love for history and vintage photographs began. I have also always had a passion for automobiles and it spills over into my work. I think the vehicles in my paintings readily identify the era depicted. Earlier works focused solely on the vehicle but now there are additional characters within the composition.

I have admired the work of Edward Hopper for many years particularly his depiction of color, light and shadow. I was also fond of Norman Rockwell’s illustrations, particularly his ability to evoke emotion from his subjects. I am drawn to images that depict a sense of humor, irony or sexuality that is at odds with the simple nostalgic memory many people have of the mid 20th century. I think of the era as passive repressive. I find it a challenge balancing depictions of what exists in an image versus adding or eliminating from the composition to create a more humorous or contradictory message. I enjoy eliciting warm, nostalgic feelings from the viewer of my work but I also want to include an element of surprise that checks that nostalgia with a dose of maybe everything wasn’t so rosy. Many times that is simply accomplished with a provocative title for a piece.