Tom Darnell: Artist

Tom Darnell is a contemporary American artist. Born in San Antonio, Texas in 1958, Tom received his painting degree from the University of Texas in Austin where he continued to live and work until 1992 when he moved to Europe. Along with his wife Nicole and their children Joseph and Ava, Darnell currently lives in southern France.

What is, for you, the height of misery?
Seeing someone you love suffering something horrible and not being able to do anything about it.

Where would you like to live?
Where I am living now in the south of France in a comfortable house with beautiful views.

Your ideal of earthly happiness?
Living a long, fun, experience-rich life in great health with loads of loving family and friends and having no regrets when you die.

For which faults do you have the greatest amount of indulgence?
I indulge a lot of faults, but drinking too much red wine and acting like a fool would easily top the list.

Who are the novelistic heroes whom you prefer?
From childhood: Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and from adulthood: Alyosha in The Brothers Karamozov.

Who is your favorite historical character?
Uhm..Mahatma Ghandi would be one.

Your favorite heroines in real life?
There are so many people who overcome so much I can't say...Rosa Parks comes to mind first.

Your favorite painter?
Caravaggio.

Your favorite musician?
That's like asking which red wine is my favorite...I like so many.

The virtue you most prefer in men?
Integrity.

The virtue you most prefer in women?
Compassion.

The virtue you prefer?
Argh...integrity I suppose.

Your preferred occupation?
Painting paintings as I do but I hate the business end and the phony baloney involved.

Whom would you have liked to be?
Pablo Picasso except without the asshole qualities.

The principal trait of my character?
Fun-loving or honest though my wife would probably say crotchety or liar.

The quality you most like in a man?
Inner strength and calm courage, the ''benevolent king'' thing...like the total opposite of Bush.

The quality you most like in a woman?
Tolerance/patience, nurturing, warmth.

What I appreciate the most in my friends?
A great sense of humor tops the list.

My principle fault?
Making snap judgments without knowing the whole story then getting needlessly angry (mostly around the kids).

What is your favorite occupation?
If by that you mean professional occupation, I think being a photographer for National Geographic or a food and wine critic (just the research not the writing part though) oh, movie critic too.

My dream of happiness?
Barring the occasional horrors, I think I am living it now. For me, happiness involves both focus and surrender...I try and guide my life's journey but am willing to take the occasional side road.

What might my greatest misfortune be?
My childhood and adolescence were often hellish but of the things I could have avoided and didn't, it would be working many years at a boring job (for security and comfort) instead of following my passion right from the start.

What would I like to be?
All forms have their ups and downs I guess, I'm happy being human.

In what country would you like to live?
France or Mexico or Italy.

The color I prefer?
I only like black and white. Just kidding, I like most colors found in nature ...bright yellowy green probably.

The flower I like?
White roses.

The bird I prefer?
Besides our parakeet of course, there exists an amazing bird in the rain forest which can mimic the sound of anything at all...including the sounds of car alarms, motor-driven cameras and sadly, chain saws and the crashing sounds of the trees they cut down..really incredible.

My favorite prose authors?
Marquez, Anne Michaels, anyone with a poetic style and also the hilarious ones like Augusten Burroughs and DBC Pierre

My preferred poets?
Naomi Shihab Nye is easily and consistently my favorite.

My favorite composers?
Old school: Chopin and contemporary: Arvo Part or Gorecki.

My favorite painters?
Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Picasso, Richter.

My heroes in real life?
Too many to name.

My favorite historical heroines?
Ditto.

My favorite names?
Ava, Nicole, Joseph.

What is it you most dislike?
Besides injustice and corruption, milk skin on my coffee.

Historical figures whom I scorn the most?
Are Bush and Cheney history yet?

The military feat that I admire the most?
Peace keeping...rebuilding.

The reform that I admire the most?
No response.

The gift of nature I would like to possess?
A really big ....

How I would like to die?
I want to die before my children do, at a late age, suddenly in my sleep ....without pain of course and with nothing left on my life's to do list.

The present state of my mind?
Good.

What is your slogan?
Make the most of every moment because that's what life is, this moment now.