Tim grew up in a rural area of Gastonia, North Carolina, where most of his memories are of days spent playing sports and working on a small family farm. In December 1985, at the age of 18, he joined the United States Air Force. In June 1987, Tim married Teresa, who is the inspiration in his life. In 1989, he left active duty and entered the military reserves. He would be recalled to active duty for the Persian Gulf Conflict in 1990. From 1993 to 1996, Tim went to night school at the local community colleges year round four and five nights a week, while working full time for Duke Energy during the daytime. In August 1996, at the age of 28, Tim left his job and transferred to East Carolina University to pursue his dream of becoming an artist.
After obtaining his Undergraduate Degree in May 1999, he worked He attended Graduate school at the prestigious Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College (MICA) of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. While at the Institute Tim grew as an artist under the guidance of people such as the late internationally known artist Grace Hartigan, the founder of the Hoffberger School of Painting at MICA, Raoul Middleman the artist in residence as well as many more visiting artists. During those two years at the Institute he had the unique opportunity to learn from the brilliance of international artist who were also his peers in the program. This made it an extraordinary artistic and intellectual experience.
Tim now lives in Knightdale, North Carolina, where he pursues his lifetime ambitions as a full time artist and teacher. On most days, Tim can be found in his studio at Village Art Circle: Studio and Gallery in downtown Cary, North Carolina or out on location somewhere in the countryside painting landscapes. Tim paints in a diversity of styles from the rural landscape through plein air and studio painting, still life's, narrative and pportraiture. Tim’s paintings are in many private and corporate collections throughout the united states as well as many other countries around the globe like Germany, Australia, England, Singapore, Japan, just to name a few.
Like Monet, one of the artist he most admires, Tim wants to paint the air around his subjects.
Artist Statement:
My philosophy on life is the same as the reason I paint: I want to soak up the atmosphere with all my senses and then capture the essence of what I see and feel with my brush. Like Monet, I want to paint the air around the subjects before me. I want to capture those moments between breaths, the sound after a water drop rejoins a puddle, and the instant after an autumn leaf breaks free and begins its journey.
I approach each painting with the intent to allow the viewer to take time to exhale and to rediscover those moments in time that represent tranquility and harmony in their life. My intent is to find beauty in the simplicities of life. My paintings are passageways for ones journey of discovering common ground.
Tim Postell