Tom Gallus, a 1998 Becker High School graduate, recently claimed the “Best in Show” award in the Drawing category at the Uptown Art Fair.

Gallus, a self-taught artist, has always had a keen interest in creative expression, but it was only recently that he began exploring his potential as an artist.  In fact, this summer was the first time he had shown his current style of artwork, displaying his works at the Edina Art Festival in June before winning his award in August.  He will round out his 2023 shows at the Lakeville Art Festival in September.

“I have to say that I inherited an artistic gene that seems to run through my father’s side of the family, so I don’t think that I would be lying If I said that I have been an artist all my life.” Gallus says. “The biggest change in my ‘artist life’ would be when I turned the big 4-0, and reflected on this talent that I seemed to have been wasting. I made a decision to focus on what I love to do, and for the next three years, I put together a list of ideas, and created my current portfolio of work.”

That work earned him a top award among a very talented field of artists, many of which have been showing at art competitions for years.

Gallus describes his works as being done in a “hyper-realistic style, which is characterized by translating photographs into drawing with extreme attention to detail.”

“Allowing my attention deficit disorder mind to hyper-focus on my art, I find my own persona emerging within the work,” Gallus adds. “The focal points in each of my drawings are always my own individual interpretation and a reflection of my thoughts and state of mind.”

Gallus works with graphite, carbon, and charcoal to create his drawings and he says he strives at creating an emotional connection between his viewers and his artwork.

It is a time-intensive undertaking, with some pieces taking as many as 250 hours to create.

The judging process at Uptown is intense, with at least three judges critiquing each artist’s work against criteria in originality, execution and presentation.

Final scores are based on the artist’s entire body of work, booth presentation, and representation, rather than an individual piece.

“The composition of each of my drawings start within the first steps of each work,” Gallus says. “Before I take photos for a new project I already have a precise idea of how each future work should look as a drawing. I spend just as many hours perfecting the composition before the hard part ever starts. Once the photos are taken or rendered, they are then used as templates to bring my true visions to life.”

With his 2023 award, Gallus will receive an invitation to next year’s festival, with all of the entrance fees waived.

For more information on his work, visit his website at ThomasMartinArt.com