ABOUT MATT TOMKO
Nature has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was always drawing, exploring outdoors, and catching - and releasing - birds and small animals just so I could experience them up close. These days, I’m more likely to capture those encounters with a camera and eventually on canvas.
That connection with the natural world is still at the heart of my work. I spend a great deal of time outdoors observing and photographing wildlife, whether I’m hiking, exploring somewhere new, or simply watching what appears in my own backyard. Many of my paintings grow from encounters I’ve had myself, sometimes beginning with a photograph and sometimes with an idea that develops from several different experiences.
I want my work to capture more than what an animal or landscape looks like. I want to recreate something of what it felt like to be there - the light, the atmosphere, the personality of an animal, and those moments that make you stop and look.
FROM EXPERIENCE TO CANVAS
Creating a painting often begins long before I pick up a brush. I may start with photographs I’ve taken in the field, but those images are only the beginning. I think about the animal, its surroundings, and the story I want the finished painting to tell.
Sometimes a painting grows from a single encounter. Other times I combine observations and reference photographs gathered at different times and places to create a scene that exists first in my imagination and then on canvas.
Accuracy is especially important to me when painting wildlife. I pay close attention to anatomy, behavior and habitat, while also thinking about light and composition. My goal is to create a scene that feels both authentic and alive.
Wildlife Calendars
Having my paintings selected for state wildlife calendars has become one of the most rewarding parts of my work as a Wildlife Artist. My paintings have appeared repeatedly in the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and West Virginia Division of Natural Resources calendars, including several cover selections.
When I was growing up in Pennsylvania, I was fascinated by Pennsylvania Game News and other publications featuring the wildlife art of Ned Smith. His art helped deepen my appreciation for wildlife and was an early inspiration for my own interest in wildlife art.
I like knowing that my paintings now have an opportunity to reach people in much the same way. If seeing one of my images in a wildlife calendar encourages someone - young or old - to look a little more closely at the natural world and appreciate it more, that makes being a part of these publications especially meaningful to me.
NATURE, ART, and wellness
In 2019, Duke University commissioned me to create six paintings for a space dedicated to health and wellness. Inspired by scenes from Duke Gardens, the paintings use art and nature to help create a calming, meditative environment and became part of Duke University’s permanent collection.
In 2025, Duke commissioned five additional paintings, each centered around one of the five senses. I also wrote and recorded a spoken meditation for each piece, which visitors can access by scanning a QR code beside the painting.
I’ve always believed that experiencing nature can help us slow down and become more present. This project allowed me to combine painting, nature and meditation in a different way—creating an experience intended to offer a few moments of calm.