Show Preview | Tom Browning - Southwest Art Magazine

Scottsdale, AZ
Legacy Gallery, November 21-December 25

Tom Browning, Special Friends, oil, 24 x 36.

This story was featured in the November 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art November 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

WHEN TOM Browning created his first painting of Santa Claus back in 1980, it was just for kicks; at the time, the artist was already a rising star in the genre of western and wildlife painting. But after a reputable publisher took notice of Browning’s Santa painting, and it became that publisher’s best-selling holiday design, he suddenly found his career whirling ahead on two separate but highly successful tracks: one as a widely respected western fine artist, and the other as an equally revered painter of Father Christmas.

: Tom Browning, All Caught Up, oil, 24 x 20.

: Tom Browning, Santa’s Favorite Team, oil, 28 x 38.

: Tom Browning, Surf n’ Sand, oil, 20 x 16.

Browning’s Santa imagery, all completed in oils, quickly became sought after, and his designs were licensed by gift-product manufacturers around the world, appearing on everything from wrapping paper to puzzles to cookie tins. Book deals also materialized, including a commission to paint a series of scenes illustrating Clement C. Moore’s classic The Night Before Christmas. Meanwhile, over the years, some of the original oil paintings that inspired these Santa-themed products were sold to private collectors—but not all of them. This holiday season, Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ, unveils an assortment of Browning’s original Santa paintings that are on view and for sale for the first time.

: Tom Browning, Tinker Toy, oil, 24 x 18.

: Tom Browning, Christmas Note, oil, 30 x 26.

: Tom Browning, A Gift to the Nation, oil, 24 x 24.

Opening with an artist’s reception on Thursday, November 21, at 7 p.m., and goodhumoredly entitled Santa’s Time Off, this special exhibition includes traditional depictions of the holiday icon alongside numerous lighthearted representations of Santa off duty. In fact, Browning shows us a playful Santa who enjoys his hobbies and leisure time as much as the rest of us. Works in the show include scenes of the jolly fellow fishing, sun-bathing on the beach, gleefully riding a bucking bronco, cooking in the kitchen, golfing with his elves, and bonding with his reindeer.

: Tom Browning, Air Cuisine, oil, 30 x 22.

: Tom Browning, A New Suit for Santa, oil, 28 x 22.

: Tom Browning, A Pinch of Cheer, oil, 25 x 20.

But his novel approach to depicting Santa isn’t the only thing that makes Browning’s paintings distinctly his own. Rather than work in an illustrative style that characterizes so many other artistic renditions of Santa, Browning portrays the white-bearded figure with the same care and attention he applies to his painterly western fine-art works. For an artist whose many achievements include winning the Prix de West Invitation-al’s highly coveted Purchase Award in 2009, that’s a telling statement that should prompt art lovers to make a beeline for Legacy Gallery, where Browning’s paintings hang, fittingly, through Christmas Day. —Kim Agricola

contact information
480.945.1113
www.legacygallery.com