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John Toms was born October 21, 1957, in Cincinnati, Ohio, His family moved to Denver, CO the next year, and by the age of 5, John was drawing & tracing from magazines & books. He continued to develop his artistic skills thru high school and furthered his education at the Colorado Institute of Art and the European Institute of Commercial & Fine Art.

John's fine artwork is mostly self-taught. He didn't pick up a paint brush until after his return from Europe. Over the years, he's worked hard to develop his own unique style. Substance has always been important. The work must be more than just a pretty picture.

His artwork is categorized by strong compositions of dramatic images flowing with vibrant color. Utilizing acrylic, water colors, luma-dyes, pastels, inks, colored pencils & charcoal, John approaches his craft with sincere passion.

His selection of subject matter has proven to be even more diverse than his media. His work has focused on capturing the life spirit. Themes flow from the lively streets of the "hood," to the hip bebop of jazz music and into the realm of sensual surrealism. John has also started to step into the corridor of abstracts & textiles. And the "poetic license" of words has begun to play a large part in his work.

John first began displaying his artwork publicly in 1997. His work is now being sold in every major city in the U.S. & abroad, shown alongside the works of such notable fellow artists as Annie Lee, Charles Bibbs, Paul Goodnight, Tim Hinton, and Leroy Campbell. His work has been "snapped up" by such renowned collectors as George Duke, Diane Reeves, Al Jarreau, Annie Lee, the DuSable Museum in Chicago, Isaac Bruce, Alfred Williams, Marion Meadows, Howard Hewitt, Mrs. Kidd, H. Allen, Dr. Donald Rice, Dr. Karen Nash, Dr. David Miller, Dr. Willard Draper, Dr. Antoinette Pettit, Dr. Ada Fisher, Charmaine Washington, Mike Murphy... & the list goes on.

On a more personal note, John shares that one of his main cares is "Our Kids." He has 2 sons of his own and has coached numerous sporting teams of all ages and lent his time to youth in many capacities.

Realizing that times can be tough, he asserts that you must be a big dreamer.

" Many people take the little things for granted. Appreciating the small pleasures & treasures of daily life, I truly appreciate all the people who have made it possible for me to explore my talent. (You know who you are.) Never stop at the space of satisfaction, for with each day of growth new and wonderful creativity comes forth. New day, new vibe, new thoughts, new vision, new take, new give... endless."

John's work has been represented at Art Shows nationwide. He was selected as one of the artists for the 1995 "Eight Men & A Lady" art show in Chicago along with Annie Lee, C. Bibbs, P. Brown, L. Lofton, G. Young, T. Hinton, M. Caldwell and B. Hoyes. In July of 2000, he was also selected to show with Annie Lee at the Cultural Center in Las Vegas in the"Sixteen Dudes & A Diva" show. You can see John's work on BET's Comic View 2001 videotaped in Atlanta, GA.

Noted for his music pieces, John has carved a niche in the world of musicians and music lovers. Capturing the message and feel of the notes themselves, his work may be found in many jazz clubs and notable collections. His work has been shown at numerous Jazz Festivals and a number of his jazz pieces have been donated to the United Negro College Fund fund raising auction.

He has worked on many commissioned pieces, such as projects for MCA Records (CD cover for Black Music Month, as well as creating 14 images for B.B. King's Life Story CD-ROM) and LA Sax (CD covers for 1995, 1997 & 2001.) In 1994, his commissioned pieces were used as awards in recognition of several community leaders by KWGN-TV in Denver and for the Denver Public Schools Teacher's Award. His work has also appeared on numerous book & magazine covers.

Visit John's website today: johntomsart.com