Tom Lovell

Born in New York City, Tom Lovell began his career in illustration by making drawings for pulp magazines while attending the School of Fine Arts at Syracuse University. He earned his bachelor of arts in 1931 and by 1937 his work was appearing regularly in respected national magazines like National Geographic, Time, and Life. Lovell worked as an illustrator for four decades until 1969, when he received a commission from the Abell-Hanger Foundation to paint a series focusing on early oil extraction in West Texas. After that Lovell turned to painting western scenes full time. Like his contemporary John Clymer, Lovell placed a strong emphasis on historical accuracy and detail and employed a painstaking process of multiple rounds of research, preparatory sketches, and oil studies before beginning a final composition. He moved to Santa Fe with his family in 1975 and was elected to the Cowboy Artists of America in the same year. Lovell was also a founding member of the National Academy of Western Art and won their lifetime achievement award in 1992.