Thom Tex Wheeler

Sculptor and Painter

Thom Tex Wheeler makes art that springs from a joy of living and an unflinching optimism.

 

Thom was born in Alice Texas in 1946. After serving as a sergeant in the US Army Medical Corp from 1969-1971 he attended Sam Houston University and graduated in 1975. His art career began in Houston Texas as a sculptor of monumental works of stone, wood and metal. He was commissioned by designers and architects across the United States to create large-scale sculptures that adorned restaurants, hotels, offices, private homes and yachts. The size of these pieces allowed him more canvas to interpret the feelings his clients wanted to convey. His work embodied the exuberance of the oil boom in his native Texas.

In 1985 Thom left the big city for Taos, New Mexico. His sculpture and painting turned to a very distinct New Mexican theme. He creates aluminum, bronze and copper wall sculptures that resemble giant pieces of jewelry, embellished with semi-precious stone.

More recently he has taken to painting with the same sensibilities used in his sculpture. He paints with a palette knife, which allows him to work the oils similar to his texturing of metals. He feels oils are more alive and his application of thick, saturated colors creates complexity in his simplified compositions.

Thom has gained much recognition for his religious themed art. His knowledge and fascination with history and a variety of religions has taken him on an interesting journey. He enjoys mixing Southwest or Native American beliefs with those of other religions to cast a more modern approach on how we view religion in our lives. A Celtic cross can have a Zuni bear embedded in the middle, or a butterfly might flutter onto a Star of David. Anything is possible.

Thom’s work is constantly evolving and he is never bored with creating art and living life to its fullest.

He is truly a renaissance man who embraces architecture, gardening, history and cooking with the same skill and passion that he does with his art.

Traveling throughout the United States and Europe has been a great source of joy and inspiration for him and a passion he shares with his wife, Lavinia.

He welcomes guests to visit his studio on a daily basis in his 38,000 brick adobe home that he designed and built and shares with his wife, dogs, a cat and various other critters

Gallery Representation

Publications

In The Studio: Until We Meet Again

December '21 | January '22 • Written by Shari Morrison • Photographed by Daniel Nadelbach

 

In an area of mostly single-story adobe houses in Taos, New Mexico, Thom "Tex" Wheeler's home and studio is an architectural anomaly. Visitors drive thorugh an arched entry gate and a weathered wooden sign declaring "Happy Trails", and they are indeed about to embark on a journey. Read More...

Selected Private & Public Collections

Fresno Metropolitan Museum Fresno, California

Building 98 Museum Galleries Marfa Texas

Fort D.A. National Historic Site Marfa, Texas

Dr. Jonas Salk, LaJolla, California

Dennis Hopper, Hollywood, California

Louis Gossett Jr., Hollywood, California

Dean Stockwell, Hollywood, California

Ole Miss University, Oxford, Mississippi

Randy Travis, Nashville, Tennessee

Banco di Roma, Rome Italy

Katz&Bestoff, New Orleans, Louisiana

Holy Cross Hospital Mural, Taos, New Mexico

The Lannon Foundation, Palm Beach, Florida

The Grand Hotel, Houston, Texas

Cullen Eye Institute, Houston, Texas

Virlane Foundation, New Orleans, Louisiana

Heritage Farms, Houston, Texas

Orbis Foundation, Houston, Texas

Arena Theater, Houston, Texas

All Saints Hospital Mural, Fort Worth, Texas

Rivera Funeral Park Memorial Wall, Santa Fe, NM

International Woman’s Foundation Marfa, Texas

Hess Corporation, Houston Texas

International Game Fish Museum, Florida

Awards and Acknowledgements

Featured artist Southwest Magazine, February 1983

Featured artist Santa Fe Magazine, April 1988

Cover artist Pulse Magazine, June 1991

Cover artist Taos Magazine, October 1992

Featured artist in New Mexico Magazine, April 1993

Cover artist Houston Chronicle, April 1993

Cover artist Traditions Southwest, May 1993

Maverick Award designer for Taos Talking Pictures, April 1996

American Museum-One man show, 1998

Cover artist Enchanted Homes, 2003

Seattle Homes, 2001

Southwest Art “Emerging Artist”, 2006

Cowboys & Indians Magazine, 2008

Cover Taos Magazine, 2007

Lifetime Achievement Award, Taos Art Association, 2008

Show at the Governors Gallery, Santa Fe, 2009

Humanitarian Award, Taos Art Association, 2009

President and Board Member Taos Animal Shelter, 2004-2012

President and Co-founder of the Taos Lilac Festival, 2013-

President of the Historic Sierra Vista Cemetery, Taos, 2013-2022

Unsung Hero of Taos, 2016

One-Man Show at O Museum in the Mansion, Washington DC, 2020

Feature Artist, Art & Architecture Magazine, Dec. 2021

Lifetime Achievement Award, Taos Fall Arts Association, 2022

Videos


Abstracts

Wall Jewelry

Oil Paintings

Contact Tex

 

Contact Form


I'm not a robot

thom@thomwheeler.com

Studio Gallery

Thom Wheeler's Taos studio/home is a riot of colors and textures, anchored, but not subdued, by warm adobe walls and that lovely light particular to northern New Mexico.
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939 Kit Carson Rd.

Taos, New Mexico 87571

575-737-1260

Casa Wheeler

Guest House
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