Thomas Stiltz

Thomas Stiltz, now residing in suburban Baltimore, was born in Newark, Delaware in 1948. His artistic talent became evident very early in his life. At the age of 5, Thomas was drawing cartoon characters. At 12, he was attending special art classes at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington. Stiltz received his Bachelor of Arts in painting and Master of Arts in photography and design from the University of Delaware in 1969. As a graduate student traveling through Europe in 1972, Thomas Stiltz developed his taste for fine wine. Experiencing cuisine enhanced by just the right wine led to a life-long interest in the world’s best varietals. Stiltz has toured many vineyards, met the owners and winemakers and discovered the many parallels between wine making and painting. As in painting, the layering of flavors in the winemaking process produces complexity and sensual lushness. Neither process can be rushed and each wine or work or art is as different as the personality who creates it. The paintings of Thomas Stiltz are created with a devotion to old world techniques, using many layers to build up the paint surface. Backgrounds are glazed with many layers of color for depth and richness. Paul Cezanne, whose still lifes show devotion to the solidity of objects and form revealed through color, was the artist who most influenced Stiltz’s style.