Thom Glace, Lefty Kreh, and Mary Glace at a Fly Fishing Show. Thom is an avid trout fly fisher, and tenkara has become his new passion as age has slowed him down. Both Thom and Mary are dedicated conservationists.
Thom Glace is an internationally acclaimed watercolor artist
By Henry Clement
Although a native of central Pennsylvania, he took a long and winding path before finding his way back to the Harrisburg area. He and his wife lived in various locations, including North Carolina, New Hampshire, St. Croix, USVI, and the Netherlands. After college, he worked in a publishing firm, a newspaper, and 2 advertising firms, including his own in Greensboro, NC. While managing a firm in the Virgin Islands, he also taught college at the University of the Virgin Islands and wrote a couple of Television shows in the Caribbean region. He was also employed by a major electronics components company in marketing & sales, with assignments in the Netherlands, and saw over 50 countries while in International Marketing for them.
Adult Atlantic Salmon by Thom Glace, award-winning watercolorist, dedicated fly fisher, and conservationist.
Twenty-two years ago, Thom suffered a catastrophic heart attack and was forced to retire on disability
He took up watercolors as a hobby, and since then, his art has flourished. Specializing in watercolor studies of fish, dragonflies, and birds, he has been featured in galleries and shops in Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina Outer Banks, Florida, and Gettysburg, Boiling Springs, New Cumberland, Millheim, Lancaster, Mount Holly Springs, and Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
He has participated in art shows and exhibitions throughout New England, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, New York City, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. He has been a featured artist in Harrisburg Magazine, Montana Trout Magazine, Southern Trout Magazine, and Fly Life Magazine.com, where he was named 2017 Artist of the Year, Fly Dreamers, Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide, MidCurrent Publications, Virginia Wildlife Magazine, and was 2016 Artist of the Year for Tenkara USA Magazine.
Thom was named the Festival Artist for the 2014 Virginia Fly Fishing Festival.
In 2016 and 2017, Thom Glace was the Festival Artist for the Cape Lookout Albacore & Redfish Festival in Moorehead City, NC. He is the in-House Artist for Fly Life Magazine.com–an international flyfishing magazine.
Male March Brown Dun Mayfly by Thom Glace
Orvis Fly Fishing lesson
When asked why he has specialized in transparent watercolor studies of fish and dragonfly species, Thom Glace answers with “my love of nature, especially the world found underwater. It comes from a father who loved snorkeling and took our family to island vacations where I discovered the beauty of the underwater creatures. I was SCUBA diving before I was a teenager! And when my wife gave me an Orvis Fly Fishing lesson as a present, it changed my life- and my love of trout & salmon grew like Kudzu!
His most common format for painting is what he has labeled a Biological Study Format
That shows a species by itself in all its glory. After many fish studies, he branched out to dragonfly studies, where he found the challenge of the delicate features of insect anatomy. Especially in the various wing patterns. He has started to paint the mayfly and stonefly insects. Once in a while, he breaks away to
paint an Assateague Island wild horse or a Megalith in Ireland or Wales. He has started to branch out into songbirds and shore birds. His painting style is with transparent watercolor, almost 100% drybrush on Watercolor Board. While this method has absolutely no forgiveness- one mistake or
blotch means starting over again.
paint an Assateague Island wild horse or a Megalith in Ireland or Wales. He has started to branch out into songbirds and shore birds. His painting style is with transparent watercolor, almost 100% drybrush on Watercolor Board. While this method has absolutely no forgiveness- one mistake or
blotch means starting over again.
Timberdoodle by Thom Glace.
All in the last 20-plus years
when he was looking for a reason to get out of bed after his catastrophic heart attack with a ‘non-destructive’ hobby. It has since taken off on a life of its own,
where he now works out of his studio and provides work to galleries throughout the country and commissions to customers around the world. He has created a wonderful network of contacts from all over the world that provide him with reference photos and material of various species he wants to paint. They are from Japan to Slovenia, Montana to the Pyrenees to Ontario.
where he now works out of his studio and provides work to galleries throughout the country and commissions to customers around the world. He has created a wonderful network of contacts from all over the world that provide him with reference photos and material of various species he wants to paint. They are from Japan to Slovenia, Montana to the Pyrenees to Ontario.
Thom Glace Biographical Information:
Born: May 9th, 1951, Harrisburg, PA
College: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, BA in Journalism, 1974
Married to Mary Glace since 1983
Major Artistic Influences:
College: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, BA in Journalism, 1974
Married to Mary Glace since 1983
Major Artistic Influences:
- Archibald Thorburn-Scottish watercolorist of the early 1900s.
- Phil Bean-Contemporary Landscape Artist from New Hampshire.
- Georges Seurat-Pointillism
A collage [no scale]
Male Filigree Skimmer
Thom Glace commissioned a striper that is one of the best illustrations of Morone saxatilis.
Award-winning Virginia Rainbow Trout by Thom Glace.
Smallmouth bass
Marble Trout of Slovenia–MidCurrent Sale Item
Thom created a beautiful collection of “Darters” that are all colorful, like this Orange-Throated specimen.
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