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Rhett Fire & Todd4' x 5', oil on canvas, November 1st, 1983, $20,000Painted from life in New York City. Rhett commissioned two such paintings one for each of his boyfriends. The style of the painting closely emulates Tom's master, Ralph Wolfe Cowan. Tom had been living and working with him in Palm Beach for a year. The composition is arranged around the sun signs of Rhett and Todd. Tom spent a good amount of time studying bulls at the Bronx Zoo but Rhett preferred a horse. The horse is painted in the manner of the Arabian stallions Ralph had been painting for the Sheiks of Saudi Arabia.
Rhett Fire & Mel Odem5' x 4', oil on canvas, July 1st, 1983, 1.2 megThe first painting commissioned by Rhett. Rhett was working on a entertainment complex like in the background. The saddle was modeled after a spider in Palm Beach. At the times, Tom was working for Ralph Cowen, a famous portrait painter. The painting was later purchased by the owner of the Monster, a gay bar in Greenwich and just up the street from Tom's apartment. The painting hung in the foyer of the bar for many years until it was taken downstairs and then later to a private home.
Isadora FireOil on canvas, 26" x 30", June 1st, 1978Painted while in Cleveland visiting Rhett's wife and daughter. The view in the background is Cleveland. They lived within a few feet from the water. A funny story Tom remembers about the trip home is that Rhett just got his red Mercedes out of the shop and Tom finally figured out while driving it late in the night on the way to Cleveland that the mechanics failed to put any oil in the engine. The rest of the trip was without mishap, except the regular running crazy life that Rhett and all those within his reach experienced.
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