Bio

Tomi was born and raised in a small town in upstate New York surrounded by a family of artists and teachers. There were always opportunities to do art in a variety of mediums and subjects. She studied art education at the State University of New York in New Paltz in the late 1980's and went on to teach art for over 30 years.  In 2012 and 2020 she received the NYSATA Region 7 Art Teacher Educator Award for her dedication to her students and indistinctive teaching style. As a teacher, she encouraged students to be more independent and find their own style and voice in their art.  As an artist she has embodied the importance of experimenting, making mistakes and being unique.

Since 2002 she has been the official artist for the Survival of the Shawangunk Triathlon. Beloved views from the race are created into paintings or pen and ink drawings and used as special awards for the participants. In 2024, some of her landscape paintings, of the Shawangunk Mountains, were shown at the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center in a solo art exhibit. After spending time in Israel, a series of door paintings were made, each hiding a secret story inside. The 18 acrylic paintings were displayed in two solo art exhibitions. One at the Sinai Temple, Springfield, Mass. in 2025 and the other at The Jewish Community Center of New Paltz, NY in 2026. Since retirement she has been doing artist in residences in local schools.  There is a collaborative effort in each school with the students and school communities. The murals are designed based on a chosen theme, student input, the school demographics, and architecture designs.

Tomi works with a variety of mediums including acrylic painting, collage, mixed media, pastels, drawing and pen and ink. She is inspired by views of the Shawangunk Mountains where she and her family spend time running, cross-country skiing, hiking and biking.  Family is her most influential, emotional and meaningful art subjects for many of her pieces.