Tom was born and raised in Hairy Hill, Alberta and attended the Alberta College of Art in Calgary. He studied Fine Arts at The Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, on an art scholarship. When he returned from Mexico, Tom resided in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. While in Toronto, he was represented by The Pollock Gallery. Tom was a business owner in St. Paul, Alberta from 1967 until his retirement and subsequent move to Edmonton in the summer of 2004.
The Art Gallery of Alberta respectfully acknowledges that we are located in Treaty 6 Territory and Region 4 of the Metis Nation of Alberta. We respect this as the traditional and contemporary land of diverse Indigenous Peoples including the Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Beaver Cree, Nitsitapi/Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Anishinaabe/Saulteaux/Ojibwe and Dene Peoples. We also acknowledge the many Indigenous, Inuit and Métis people who make Alberta their home today.