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Thomas Schaller
AWS, NWS, TWSA, ASAI, AIA
Architect of light
We can tell stories about architecture, but architecture in turn has endless stories to tell us. It speaks of who we are, who we were, and who we may yet become. It is the gift of the architectural artist to be able to speak that silent language and to express the relationship between intellect and emotion, the real and the imagined. Architectural images are a bridge - spanning space and time - connecting the past and the future.
From an early age, it was clear that the ideas, images, and promise of architecture inspired me as much as the actual built environment. It is one thing to reflect the world we see in front of us, but often more compelling are the worlds we find within. By studying the contrast of the known and unknown through the lens of time, the ways in which we are all connected begin to be revealed.
The material forms of architecture are only as meaningful as the context in which they exist. And they are only as important as the impact they may have on the people that live, work, and interact with them every day. In the contrast of the built and the unbuilt, the solid and the void, the past and the future, the narratives of architecture start to unfold. And when we explore that terrain, we can begin to understand architectural images not as a destination, but rather as as a ladder offering incredible views toward unknown worlds on the horizon.
From an early age, it was clear that the ideas, images, and promise of architecture inspired me as much as the actual built environment. It is one thing to reflect the world we see in front of us, but often more compelling are the worlds we find within. By studying the contrast of the known and unknown through the lens of time, the ways in which we are all connected begin to be revealed.
The material forms of architecture are only as meaningful as the context in which they exist. And they are only as important as the impact they may have on the people that live, work, and interact with them every day. In the contrast of the built and the unbuilt, the solid and the void, the past and the future, the narratives of architecture start to unfold. And when we explore that terrain, we can begin to understand architectural images not as a destination, but rather as as a ladder offering incredible views toward unknown worlds on the horizon.
Thomas W. Schaller is an award-winning artist, architect, and author based in Los Angeles. As a renowned architectural artist, he received a Graham Foundation Grant and was a two-time recipient of the Hugh Ferris Memorial Prize. He has authored three books; the best-selling, and AIA award winner, Architecture in Watercolor (VNR – McGraw Hill) The Art of Architectural Drawing . (J.Wiley and Sons), and Thomas W. Schaller, Architect of Light : Watercolor Paintings by a Master (F+W Media: Penguin /Random House ) Artist Network Television has produced two best-selling series of instructional Videos and DVDs of his technique and Streamline Video published a best-selling video in 2020 “The Power of Design”. He is releasing a 12-month online curriculum of courses in 2021 with Terracotta LLC, “Design and the Power of Imagination”. He is in demand world-wide as speaker, presenter, writer, exhibitor, instructor, and juror in the fields of fine art and architectural representation.
His work is collected world-wide and is part of a number of permanent arts collections including The Johhan Museum: Shanghai: The Watermark Museum; Fabriano: The Tchoban Foundation; Berlin: The Pacific Arts Foundation; Newport Beach, The Museum of Watercolor, Mexico City. His artwork has been featured in prestigious International Watercolor Masters exhibitions in over twenty five countries including The International Masters of Watercolor Alliance, China; First Annual Universal Watercolor Exposition, Shanghai; International Watercolor Masters ,UK ;Three Modern Masters Exhibition with John Salminen and Dean Mitchell;Bradenton, Florida: Fabriano in Aquarello ,Italy 2016-21; Marché d’Acqua, Fabriano 2021: The Masters Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club NYC: Master Exhibition of Watercolor; Johhan Museum of Art, Shanghai; Steiglitz Museum, St, Petersburg and in the USA in exhibitions of The American Watercolor Society, The National Watercolor Society, The Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Architecture in Perspective, among many others. He has been a featured presenter at the Plein-Air Conference PACE in San Diego, and Watercolor Live 2021, the Roman Watercolor Society, The National Watercolor Society, the California Art Club, The Tchoban Museum, Berlin, and the Pushkin Museum of Art, Moscow.
In 2021 Tom was a finalist in the Architizer One Drawing Competition and the Splash Annual Art Competition. In 2019, he was awarded the Abu Rawash Master Award and in 2017, was a finalist for the Lynx Prize for Contemporary Art; Trieste. His paintings and writing have been featured in a great many books, magazines, and arts publications including The Artist Magazine, Watercolor Artist Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine, The Art of Watercolour, Practique des Arts, Los Angeles Magazine, International Artist Magazine, and a series of the books, Splash: the Best of Watercolor by North Light Books from 2011 – 2021.
A Signature Member of many arts organizations including the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, California Watercolor Association, and Transparent Watercolor Society of America. He was recently appointed to the Advisory Board of American Watercolor , Streamline Media, Terracotta LLC, elected Artist Member of the California Art Club and the Salmagundi Art Club, NYC, the International Masters of Watercolor Alliance. A member of the American Institute of Architects, he is also president emeritus of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators and a founding member of the group; North American Watercolor Artists.
Tom is proud to be a Brand Ambassador for:
Daniel Smith Watercolor, Baohong Paper, NEEF Brushes, Stillman & Birn, House of Hoffman
