Meet THOMAS MCGOVERN | Artist/photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with THOMAS MCGOVERN and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi THOMAS, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As an artist, the thought process is about the creative process. Thinking about what I’m making and what the artworks mean- socially, politically and within the artistic community. Then it’s a matter of making the work. I’ve been fortunate in that curators and gallerists have found the artworks I make interesting.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was challenged by a photography teacher in 1977 to make portraits for the next two years. That challenge lead to my early, best work and to my first solo exhibitions in New York and Pittsburgh, and my first museum acquisition.

To make one’s artwork is a series of choices and then the determination to make the work, refine the work and get it in front of peop[e who can exhibit it. It is very difficult to make work when no one seems interested but I was driven by my own ambition and love of the photographs I made. I”m stubborn, which can be a great asset to keep making work no one else seems to care!

Finding one’s vision and then following through to make the art is hard work. If you’re not making the work, can you call yourself an artist? Persistence driven by a vision and coaxed by ambition were and still are my working method.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love the city and the history of the place and people who live and lived there. I was fortunate to live in New York from 1980 to 1995 and I wandered the street in awe of the history that I saw all around me. Now I live in a semi-rural part of California without that same depth of history but full of natural beauty.

As a young person I gravitated to city life with all of its dirt, debris and possible danger. I loved finding cheap placed to eat and drink and hear music by kids living on the edge and trying to make something of themselves.

Now those days and excitement are over and enjoying friends, art, literature and making art are the best times. I would want to expose my visitor to funky downtown Los Angeles, the great art scene and terrific history found by walking the streets.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve had many excellent teachers and supporters, without whom my success would have been very limited. My wife of 34 years Renate Bongiorno and after she died, my wife Gail Sefl have both been very powerful influences on my work.

Website: www.thomasmcgovern.net

Instagram: mcgovern1957

Facebook: thomas mcgovern

Image Credits
artwork and photographs by Thomas McGovern