“A Blue Norther,” says Tom Gilleon, “is a rapidly moving cold front that causes temperatures to drop quickly. It often brings with it precipitation followed by a period of blue skies and cold weather. The main cause of such a dramatic cold snap is an extremely strong storm system separating warm, humid air from frigid, arctic air. If the front passes through at sunrise or sunset, one can expect to see an intense and dramatic display of color in the skies” The lesson in Plains’ weather was only a start. Tom, in describing the work, talked about the blend of colors in the sky on the right side of the painting as being “to the north, because the dwelling’s entrances always faced east, even in a large village.” The philosophy, Tom explained, was that every day was a new birth and that if you opened the door flap, the first thing you would see was the sun coming up on a new day. A quick look at Gilleon’s Fine Art Editions (with multiple dwellings) shows that he adheres to this in his paintings.
Blue Norther is far more than a meteorological or history lesson. It is a dazzling work of art from one of the hottest artists in the market today. Fourteen of twenty-four releases from The Greenwich Workshop have Sold Out at the Publisher with most other editions hovering just above low inventory. Blue Norther will be released as a MasterWork™ Fine Art Edition Giclée canvas at 40" x 30" in an edition of just 15 pieces. A 26"x 20" Fine Art Canvas Edition of 45 pieces will be available as well. Blue Norther is one of the most colorful and dramatic Gilleon paintings any collector could hope to display.

OF SPECIAL NOTE: A one man show of Tom Gilleon’s work officially opens March 8, 2012 at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, GA. The show runs through May 27, 2012. http://www.boothmuseum.org/exhibitions/temporary_current.html

“Indian Sunset is also a double entendre representative of not only the painting’s strong visual, but of the decline in the Indian way of life,” Tom Gilleon explains. “I have such respect for them as a people. My goal is that my work conveys the beauty of their world and their deep-rooted connection to it. “The painting is partially inspired by the Elton John song Indian Sunset as well. It is a compassionate song and the story he tells of the fall of a young warrior comes across even though the facts in the song aren’t necessarily correct. What is important is the emotion the music creates and that’s how he approaches his work.
“I do things a little like Elton and try to not let the facts get in the way of a good story. I’m a little more visual than historical. Many of the designs I put on the outside of a tipi would more often have been adorning the inside. I exaggerate certain things like the scale of the sun. It would never appear this large, but it is a central element to the story. Native American art does the same. If it is important, emphasize it.
“Color is another powerful component. I am looking for vibrancy and impact and try not to second guess a brushstroke. I’m painting with more confidence. I feel like I’m getting closer to how I painted at age four.”
Indian Sunset II is a prime example of the iconic work that has driven so many of Tom Gilleon’s Fine Art Editions to Sold Out status. His seamless blend of contemporary graphic art and classic representational storytelling has collectors snatching them up as quickly as we release them. Our giant MuseumEdition™ Canvas at 74w" x 37h" is a western art tour de force for large spaces that demand a signature work. Just as impactful and at a more convenient traditional size is our Fine Art Canvas (34" x 17"). Both Editions are low in number and are designed to be displayed as contemporary gallery wrapped items.

The MuseumEdition™ of Soldiers Falling into Camp is intended to be accompanied by Daniel Long Soldier’s diptych Day of Yellow Hair with the first 25 of that edition reserved to create collectible sets with matching numbers. Collectors can also pair the individual prints of Long Soldier’s drawings with the smaller Fine Art Giclée Canvas Edition.

Sitting Bull and the Plains Indian warriors gathered along the banks of Little Bighorn River did not panic when camp scouts reported the approach of the U.S. Cavalry. During a Sundance not long before, Sitting Bull experienced a vision of a great number of dead Union “soldiers falling into camp” from the skies. It was a sign, he felt, of a great victory to come.
“This painting, thanks to Daniel Long Soldier, has become a far more important piece than I could have imagined,” artist R. Tom Gilleon enthusiastically relates. “I had wanted to give an accurate depiction of the area where Custer met his end and tell some of the Little Bighorn story from the Indian’s point of view. Daniel’s Lakota Wicitowa (Lakota Paintings) of real warrior’s exploits, which I’ve used as the pictographs on the tepees, add a spirit to the piece that I couldn’t have achieved myself.
“The ribbon of river you see is the Little Bighorn. From a vantage point such as this, it would be hard to see the true size of Sitting Bull’s encampment. On the Plains, American soldiers were used to encountering villages of 50 to 60 lodges. In a landscape such as this, it’s easy to see why they would have had trouble seeing just how many Indians were waiting below.”
Gilleon’s previous editions of Tribal Tripartite and Shadow of the Sixth are Sold Out at Publisher. Soldiers Falling into Camp will certainly follow suit.

So, we really did pick up the phone to ask Florida born and raised, onetime University of Florida pitcher Tom Gilleon if there was any connection between Teebow Tipi and Heisman Trophy winning, University of Florida come Denver Bronco quarterback. Of course, it’s possible that there wasn’t; after all, he did spell Teebow with two ee’s. And, it could be a river near where he lives in Montana; because after all, he did spell Teebow with two ee’s. Or maybe even a town; because after all, he did spell Teebow with two ee’s.
Well, it turns out that he is just a big old University of Florida turned Bronco Tebow fan that chose to spell Teebow with two ee’s. “I paint tipis,” says Gilleon. “Spelling Teebow the way I did gives the painting an illusion that it is a contemporary western work of art and not homage to a great quarterback. Actually, if you think about it, when I painted the original, Tim was still in Florida. Now that he is with the Broncos, I could have titled the work Tebow Tipi and it could accurately be defined as a contemporary western work of art.”

And the American flag at adorning the tipi entrance? “Did I just say ‘great quarterback’? I think I meant to say ‘great American quarterback’.”

The Art of R. Tom Gilleon