About the Artist: Tom Barnes

September 2026 Issue
About the Cover Artist — Tom Barnes
by Lindsay Gifford

Tom Barnes is widely recognized both nationally and internationally for his distinctive style of figurative paintings. Since 1992, expressions, attitudes, and demeanors have been the focal point of his work. Our cover art is titled Samantha, featuring one of Tom’s ladies who emulates this month’s theme of Fit, Fierce and Fabulous!

Tom grew up immersed in the pine forests and coastal plains of south Georgia, where rattlesnakes, shrimp, oysters, and double bourbons were a real thing. His first exposure to art was at the Telfair Academy of Art in Savannah in the ‘60s, where he spent weeks visiting family during summer school breaks. Besides the annual museum visits, Tom was influenced by his extremely elegant, fashion-conscious maternal grandmother and her Irish-twin sister—Bess and Lila. With Tom in tow, the ladies sashayed forth into downtown Savannah for a day of shopping, lunch, and a movie. They were always dressed to the nines, complete with gloves, hats, pumps, and oodles of girth support.

This combination of art and fashion resulted in a lifelong influence on his artistic style—Tom’s subjects are predominantly women. “The subtext of each of my images is that women are captivating, capable, and create a strong presence. I represent them in their fashion statement and their posturing. The most significant element is that they are looking back at the viewer intently, resulting in truly thought-provoking works of art,” Tom explained. The gentleman featured in his couples’ paintings is Sir Arthur Dashford—a complete figment of Tom’s imagination (some say, a self-portrait) and a fitting arm piece for his elegant ladies.

Tom elongates his figures, which is an exaggeration of features often associated with “mannerism.” A Renaissance-era art style, the movement started when artists elongated their subjects to increase the sense of elegance and grace. In addition, Tom adds a touch of 14-kt liquid gold to each painting, a nod to one of his favorite artists, Gustav Klimt.

Flanked in Southern humor, Tom’s colorful, flair-filled works have been gobbled up by Art collectors all over the worldHe has been a member of Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris since 2010, and he was awarded the Bronze Medal for Achievement in 2011 from the Société Académique Arts-Sciences-Lettres
in Paris.

Tom Barnes’ works are represented by Chase Barrett of Modern Masters Fine Art, 30 Vendue Range, downtown Charleston, SC 864-356-4520 or ModernMastersArt.com. Tom’s studio is in Guyton, GA, where he calls home, and is open by appointment only. Commissions for ladies and gentlemen, florals, and landscapes are encouraged. You can follow Tom’s colorful journey at www.tombarnesfineart.com and on Facebook at “Tom Barnes Fine Art”.