Tom was born in Texas and raised everywhere else. After many years of service with the US Air Force, he now creates original art full time as his excuse for not getting a real job.

During his first Air Force assignment, he discovered Japanese netsuke (a diminutive traditional Japanese carved art form). This experience eventually kicked off a unique and award winning career carving Japanese netsuke as a mechanism for coping with extreme stresses flying Air Force F-111 fighter bombers (the "switchblade Edsel”). After retirement, he began carving contemporary netsuke professionally, becoming well known in the international circles of netsuke collectors.

Subsequently branching out into producing hand engraved art knives, his background in Japanese art often reveals itself in a unique fusion with other cultures that have caught his interest along the way. His dry sense of humor and interest in the strange and unusual often make appearances. Perhaps a little too often…

Teaching others his strange and unique art skills has become a passion over the years, culminating in this foray into popular culture and book publishing with this instruction manual about Celtic Line Drawing.