Thom making a go of it as an artist in Pemberton
Sometimes you have to be unconventional to be creative. It takes courage to escape the confines of traditional schooling and a 9-5 job, but that’s exactly what Chili Thom did. The Whistler artist now spends his days steeped in acrylic, focused on his passion and his career.
"I was studying fine arts at UBC and it was just a waste of time," Thom says frankly. "I didn’t gain anything except a lot of unused supplies. I felt there wasn’t a real concentration on the art. You’re forced to take a lot of extra programs that you have no real interest in. The art program itself, the three hours in studio, we’d get assigned a new project every week, but it would always be in a new medium. You never had time, amongst all the other classes you’re trying to keep up with, to actually sit down and learn how to do it."
Instead the Chilliwack-born Thom struck off in his own direction and, like many long-term Whistlerites, he became an accidental resident in the mountains. Artists, in particular, flock to the region for the landscape and inspiration. But Thom is quick to point out that for all the inspiration Mother Nature has to offer, the resort offers just as many distractions. It would be several years before Thom discovered his calling in acrylic paint.
"I’ve been coming to Whistler since I was a little kid, so I’ve seen it grow up. I travelled for a bit after UBC and then came up here to visit a friend. I realized I really didn’t want to go back to living in the city and everything just seemed to come together. I got the first job I applied for at Sushi Village. Two days later I found a place to live, which was also the first one I had checked out.
"Now, I’m living in Pemberton, but before I found it really hard. I’d get just little creative waves here and there, where I’d go for maybe 10 days of the month and paint for just a few hours. But I never felt that I was getting done what I wanted to get done. So I quit my job at Sushi Village (at the start of the summer) and lived like a bum and starved for about two and a half months until Artrageous. But being out here in Pemberton, I’ve been able to work on my art every day and always have new ideas."
Thom makes mention of the July 6 Artrageous, Whistler’s annual artist exhibition, where his first-ever showing garnered a lot of attention. He spent the evening continuously surrounded by curious onlookers, not to mention a few serious buyers, including one who took home Thom’s, Submersion Effect. The 33x90 inch acrylic on canvass largely typifies what is making the 25 year old a sought after artist. "Did you see the blue painting around the corner?" proved a popular phrase that evening. Submersion Effect’s vibrant blues and greens drew the initial "wows," but it was Thom’s clever brush strokes that tickled the eye, created the illusion of movement and depth and kept observers pinned to the spot for more than just a passing glance.
"I’ve done about 10 commissions over the last two years," he said.. "There’s been a number of others (similar to Submersion Effect), playing around with different colours, trying to get extra form into the reflections of the water and stuff. And a lot of people seem to like that. They’ll say ‘can you do something that you’re inspired to do, but dealing with the water because I like the colour scheme and how you capture it.’"
Thom’s commissioned body of work has also included everything from birthday gifts to pencil sketch portraits to blueberries.
"That one was fun to do because I don’t usually do up close still life. But I did this giant pile of blueberries," he laughs.
So he’s made the commitment to his art. Forgone university. Quit a lucrative job. Moved away from the Whistler playground. Now it’s time to get down to business. Although Thom subsidizes his income right now by freelancing as an ocean kayaking guide and avalanche course leader, he knows to be financially dependent on his art will take a little time and a lot of networking. Fortunately, the easy-going artist has a lot of friends eager to help, who have already begun setting up meetings for Thom with galleries in Vancouver and the U.S. Like so many artists in the area, Thom says the lack of show space here at home is inhibiting, but can’t stifle his creative drive.
"I’ve tried the galleries here before, about a year and a half ago, and didn’t have a very good response. And it’s a shame because a lot of the stuff in the galleries here is not really representative of what Whistler is all about. There’s nothing for the locals. It would be great if the area artists could get together and start a co-op gallery.
"Aside from that, I feel I can produce. And that’s the main thing. Right now (in Pemberton), I feel ready to go and I haven’t hit a wall like I used to in Whistler. I’ve only been here since June and have already turned out several pieces. It’s just about that inspiration."
