Tom Smith began to paint in 2012 when he stopped teaching. He is now a member of the League of Milwaukee Artists, the Wauwatosa Artists Workship, the Wisconsin Plein Air Painters Association, Fine Art Montage, and The Rogues Artists Group. He has participated in numerous plein air competitions and won many awards. 

About his art, Tom says "When I paint, I put down on the canvas an underpainting of acrylic, either using one neutral tone, or a mix of more vibrant color. I then paint over these colors in oil paint, letting some of the underpainting show through in strategic places. My painting technique is usually "alla prima", which is a direct painting approach where paint is applied wet on wet without letting earlier layers dry."