Tom Robinson is an artist, curator, builder, arts administrator, competition founder,  judge, teacher, innovator. As a multi-media artist Tom has used woods, watercolors, oils, acrylics, Plexiglas, and industrial components like aircraft cable and clamps to explore figure drawing, oil painting, sculpture, furniture design, sculptured lighting fixtures, and construction in depth. 

Tom studied design at Ohio State University. Discharged from the Navy at age 27, he began creating and building 2 and 3 dimensional art and furniture immediately and never looked back. Today Tom is a working artist in his 3000 sq. ft. North Avenue studio/gallery in Chicago. He creates site-specific furniture and lighting as well as oil paintings, drawings and sculpture. He has completed numerous commissions.

He has worked with Redmoon Puppet Theater, Chicago Artists Coalition, and Spertus  Museum on its “Alphabet Project,” among many other Chicago Arts institutions. While serving as the Executive Director of the Chicago Furniture Design Association, he created and produced a nationwide miniature furniture show as part of the very popular SOFA show in Chicago (Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art). The miniature furniture show was so successful it continued for several years at SOFA and many of the pieces were shown at Chicago's Ann Nathan Gallery.

Tom’s newest series of oil paintings are semi-abstract images that suggest graceful human forms and entry ways in his signature use of color. The series was published by Open Studio Press in New American Paintings #149 in 2020. 

One of his most ambitious series is his large “Twins” project. In the Fall of 2020 he completed his 13th set of Twins - "Kelsey." These are very large wood mosaic portraits. Each piece of wood is sliced in half and opened to create two identical but mirror image mosaic pieces set next to one another. The "Twins" series was featured at the Union League Club in Chicago in 2012 and also in a one man show sponsored by the Clayco corporation in their 13th floor gallery space 'Spring Exhibit' in 2021. Open Studio Press published the series in New American Paintings #95.