Born and bred in blue-collar Brooklyn, Tom is a combat Marine, highly decorated retired FDNY firefighter, and author. He is currently working on several gallery shows and putting the finishing touches on a memoir called ‘A Fine Gray Dust’ about his time struggling with PTSD after 9/11.

Upon returning from Desert Storm in 1991, Tommy excelled in art classes at his local community college yet turned down a scholarship to the School of Visual Arts and an apprenticeship with one of NYC’s Abstract Expressionist founding fathers Fred Mitchell to join the FDNY. 

Tom fought in a war, worked in some of New York City’s busiest firehouses, and survived both collapses of the WTC yet says sharing his visual art for the first time in almost 40 years is the scariest thing he’s ever done.