Thomas Locker (June 26, 1937 — March 9, 2012)[1] was an American landscape painter and award winning illustrator, and author ofchildren's literature[2] His oil paintings follow in the tradition of the 19th-centuryHudson River School of painting.[3]
Born in New York City, Thomas Locker was raised in Washington D.C. where his father worked as a lobbyist. At age six he started training in traditional old-world techniques with painterUmberto Roberto Romano .[4] At age seven, Locker won first prize in the children's division of theWashington Times-Herald annual[5][circular reference] art fair. Locker earned an A.B. in Art History at theUniversity of Chicago and an M.A. from theAmerican University, Washington DC.[4] While at the University of Chicago he studied under professor Joshua C. Taylor[1], future director of theSmithsonian American Art Museum. After graduating, he studied art while travelling in Europe.[6]
In 1982, Locker began bringing the world of fine painting to children and young adults, producing thirty-six[4] popular illustrated books. He authored most of these books and illustrated with his Hudson River School style oil paintings. Several books were collaborative works with his second wife, chemistry teacher and weaving expertCandace Christiansen.[9] Locker also illustrated books for other popular writers such asJean Craighead George. Many of these books became staples of school libraries. Locker's works received numerous awards including the 1989Christopher Award, theJohn Burroughs Medal, the 1984New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children's Book[10] and theALA Notable Books for Children list.[11]
Locker experienced a near-death aneurysm in 2002. After this he moved from theHudson River Valley to the less populatedCatskills and returned to full-time oil painting of the American landscape. He remained inAlbany, N.Y. until his death in 2012, at the age of 74.[4][12]
Home: A Journey through America (2000) literary selections of American writers, includingWilla Cather andHenry David Thoreau
Journey to the Mountaintop: On Living and Meaning (2007) A writer and a painter’s reflections, journeying in theCatskill Mountains andKaaterskill Falls.
Conservation
Images of Conservationists (Series):Walking With Henry: Based on the Life and Works ofHenry David Thoreau (2002)
Images of Conservationists (Series):Rachel Carson: Preserving a Sense of Wonder
Images of Conservationists (Series):John Muir: America's Naturalist
Images of Conservationists (Series):Teacher's Guide to John Muir
Native American
Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moons (1992)
The Land of Gray Wolf
The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet
Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places
Interview
The Man Who Paints Nature by Thomas Locker (Meet the Author series; Richard C. Owen Publishers)[13]
