As a biologist, Tom Curtis learned the art of observation, cataloging the changes in living organisms and the environment around them. As a painter, he still applies that skill to his work, viewing his subjects and studying how best to capture them, conveying their natural beauty on the canvas with brush and pigment.

Curtis began his artistic journey at the age of 31, after a doctor suggested that he might take up some form of art as a hobby. As a child, he’d spent a great deal of time in galleries, exposed to the arts by his mother, who was an artist herself and had a deep appreciation of nature—all of which seems to have influenced the direction of his work. Unlike his mother’s primitive style, Curtis tends toward realism in the landscapes he paints. “My imagination is often captured by scenes including trees, water and wildlife, and I’m incredibly inspired by the rich colors produced by the play of sunlight across the landscape,” he says. “When people see my work, I want them to feel the emotions of peace and appreciation I have for the environment. I also want them to be inspired to protect the natural world.”