Originally from Chicago, IL, Thom Mahin studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. He moved to New York City in the 60s and attended CCNY and NYU. Masters Degree in Art. Thom taught art in New York City in the late 60's-early 70s.

Concurrently, during this period, Thom had several shows in Manhattan galleries. While Warhol was quickly becoming the center of the Art World, he was one of the group referred to by the critics as 'What's Next'.

Thom has participated in, and organized several Art Happenings - multi-media events - in NYC area which taught him that Art is not necessarily bordered by a frame.

Thom Mahin moved to California mid-70s and began working in (Consumer) Product Design and Development which took him to Southeast Asia many, many times at least 50 trips with a duration of at least 3 weeks (and generally closer to 6 weeks) for each visit.

Thom became intrigued with the Ming Dynasty scroll paintings, which taught him that Art is more than form and color. Thom explains, "Each scroll was also a poem like the writings of Lao Tse. ..which had a major impact on my work Where Western thought is (at best) logical´- formulating concepts using artificial language for expression Eastern thought and expressions are pictorial. (Chinese calligraphy is picture writing)."

Thom further comments, "Western art reproduces and/or expresses the surface appearance. Eastern art is part of a greater discipline: understanding the relationship between an object and its environment, that a piece of artwork is exactly that a piece of a greater whole. "

As a result of time spent in Southeast Asia, as well as having become a student of Eastern philosophy, Thom now builds each object in his work from the inside to the outside. In explaining his work he states, "There is a unique life in everything that surrounds us. A tree is a living organism and the life force in that tree does not end when the tree is felled.

Each painting is executed with special techniques learned on the shop floor (in Chinese factories), working with the (Chinese) artisans who were masters of their respective crafts primarily master craftsmen in wood-working and those who developed the unique glazes found in finer porcelains. I have adapted these techniques in order to express more than the superficial."

Thom Mahin's paintings offered by the Central Coast Gallery have been executed with opaque water-based paints, the techniques employed are multiple glazing techniques associated with the production of oils.

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