Sierak

Tom Sierak is an American painter. A native of Newburyport, Massachusetts, Sierak graduated from The Vesper George School of Art in Boston, MA where he came to greatly admire artists such as Ingres, Vermeer, Rockwell, and others while perfecting his drawing skills and absorbing the knowledge and experience of many of the accomplished artists/instructors with whom he studied, among them Robert Douglass Hunter, Paul Rahilly and Charles Cooper.

After trying his hand at a few commercial art jobs, Sierak found that his real artistic desire existed in drawing and painting people. He concentrated on portraiture to make a living and also discovered his abilities as a musician, another of the arts that he loved. Choosing to pursue both avenues, he primarily performed as a musician for the better part of 10 years, while occasionally painting and drawing. He met numerous people during his travels, observing, sketching, and making mental notes, laying the foundation for his eventual foray into figurative painting and story telling which he now pursues on a full time basis.

"A little part of me goes into each painting, but the people I portray are the real story. I like to think of my pastels as the pen that puts the 'words' on paper. I choose to convey positive messages through my work. If there is a statement to be found, I suppose it would be of a traditional, conservative one, based in strong family values and ties." At the same time, he finds that quiet moments of solitude, in paintings such as "Silhouettes", convey as much visual uplift and pleasure as "Partners In Crime". He also enjoys painting occasional coastal scenes and romantic images of young women.

The New Englander's medium of choice is pastels and he is one of the few figurative artists today who create such finished paintings with this somewhat less familiar medium. He finds being able to combine his drawing skills with the unlimited color selection of pastels an ideal combination. He paints primarily in his native New England.

His paintings are in numerous private collections throughout North America. He has been commissioned by notable organizations like the Make A Wish Foundation, Reminisce Magazine, and numerous corporations. He has been the featured cover artist in The Artist's Magazine and had many works published in Ideals magazine. His work has been published worldwide on catalogue and book covers, wall prints, puzzles, and calendars, to mention a few.