Herb Field & Wife

30" x 24", 1984, Oil on canvas

Tom worked for Herb in 1982-3. He was a board man for his graphics arts studio. The business was right down the street from his home in the Village on Varick Street. He stayed friends with many of the people in the shop. It was the crazy times before aids struck the country.

This is a image of Herb Field Studios. Tom had installed one of his novel ventilation systems. It was composed of a stapled together trash bags, carrying cool air from the a/c in the front to the back of the studio where it was extremely hot due to the typesetting machines. Tom also installed one such system at Mark Shaiman and Scott Whitman's production of the Sound of Muzak where he played the supporting character Hans Soap.

Soon afterwards Tom went to Palm Beach to work for his mentor Ralph Wolf Cowan. Ralph had recently relocated to Palm Beach escaping the wild times of NYC. The above painting of Herb and his wife was commission while Tom returned for a visit.

The yellow sweeping clouds, the little landscape in the background, the highlights on the faces, the expressive clean brush stroke style of the rendering are all classic Cowan manners.