The Mark of Cain Painting

Tom David, one of twelve children, was born and raised in a small, rural town in east-central Illinois. There were no televisions, radios, or books -- and very few toys - in his home. As a small child he played with younger siblings, building roads, tunnels, and bridges in an imaginary world contained in a mound of dirt behind his house. Pop-cycle sticks, clothes pins, and mud bricks became the raw materials for the mighty structures he designed and built. . . and demolished with the aide of mousetraps and firecrackers. The structure and discipline imposed by the public school were unwelcome impositions on Tom's freedom. Unwilling to conform, Tom struggled in school. He was characterized as a "dreamer" by his teachers and nick-named "Huckleberry Finn" by his friends. Shel Silverstein's Poem, If You Are A Dreamer, epitomizes this period of Tom's life If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hoper, a prayer, a magic-bean-buyer. If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire, for we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in! Huck was required to repeat first grade. To lift his spirits and to motivate him to try harder, his first grade teacher gave Tom a large box of Crayola Crayons on his seventh birthday. She would never know that she had launched Tom's career as an artist. For the next several years Tom spent most of his free time drawing. He still day-dreamed a lot, but was able to focus when it was needed to achieve results. In fifth grade his art talent was recognized with a one-man-show of his work displayed throughout his school. In high school Tom was often called upon to create a piece of art for a special project. Tom graduated from public high school, ranking in the top 25% of his class, earning two academic scholarships to attend a university as well as an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. In the fall of 1965 Tom enrolled in Eastern Illinois University. Four years later he graduated having earned a B.S. in Education with a double major in studio art with a concentration in pottery, sculpture, painting, and printmaking. Besides creating art, Tom wanted to help young people learn and grow, especially in their understanding and appreciation of the arts. Following graduation he taught art in various public schools in east-central Illinois.