Tom Brooks

Tom Brooks was born in Scarborough, Ontario in 1959, in the middle of a December snowstorm. He began his post-secondary education in Engineering at the University of Waterloo, before completing a degree in Industrial Design, at Carleton University, in Ottawa. After graduation, Tom worked as a Product Engineer at General Motors in Oshawa, doing automotive problem-solving. Tom was then offered a position as a Senior Industrial Designer for Inglis appliances, in downtown Toronto. While at Inglis, he created product and graphic designs for major household appliances, helping to usher in their new Euro look. Upon moving to the Ottawa area, Tom took an Industrial Design position with Canada Post. He helped to launch their street furniture program, as well as a new letter carrier satchel system. Tom also started a design consultancy business specializing in children’s playground equipment. During this time, he studied life drawing and painting in the evenings, at the Ottawa School of Art. After completing his art studies, Tom pursued a Bachelor of Education at Brock University, in Hamilton. As an educator, Tom taught in the high school panel for several decades. Although he taught a multitude of courses, most of his courses were in the domains of: Communications Technology, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, Photography, and Art.

Tom’s varied professional experience and education, have definitively influenced his approach to art. Tom has always been interested in abstraction and geometry, as well as the improvisational application of paint. Living on Mississippi Lake, his passion for water and reflections, have inspired the vivid colour palette and patterns in his work.