Tom Bender will present “Walk in My Shoes”.

Tom is a Native Texan who transitioned to Maine, and back to Texas. He also transitioned from film to digital during that time. He returns many times to the places and objects he has photographed; to observe the time lapse – a couple of minutes or several days – and reflect changes in light and the mood as he captures the images. When he moved to Wimberley, he also moved more into digital photo art, some of it is surreal.

This move is evident in his phone booth series, the violin series, and many more of his recent works. While some of his surreal images invoke questions, they are never dark. Tongue in cheek would be the better description.

Tom is a “self taught photographer” whose training was due to a fortuitous collection of mentors. His first mentor, the most influential, taught him to see the details in reflections and in the shadows. Perhaps more importantly, he taught Tom how to capture those details on film. That profound experience shaped the next 45 years of Tom’s artistic journey and resulted in a true love of art. He is active in the Art Guild of the Kennebunks, the Wimberley Valley Art League, and the New Braunfels Art League.