California architect and artist Thomas Hatch will exhibit his art for the first time at The Loft in San Pedro on Thursday, September 5, 2013, during the First Thursday Art Walk. Hatch scored the opportunity with help from John Chiu, a member of the Palos Verdes Art Center, and Angelica Sotiriou, a well established artist who has a studio in The Loft. Sotiriou, who has been exhibited in several California museums and has her art displayed at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, will share her space with Hatch in The Loft that day to help promote his first showing.

            Thomas's  paintings are a mixture of landscapes, people and buildings. His style has been labeled as realistic/surreal with mixed media of ink, water color and acrylic. In his youth, Hatch’s style closely resembled Van Gogh, with vibrant colors and broad strokes. However, after graduating Architecture School, his style was more architectural renderings with water color added. Over the years,  Thomas melded the two worlds of linear high contrast with his own sense of artistic vision. He uses a four day process consisting of line work and drafting, acrylic blocking, water washing and water marking, and black ink cutting and trimming. “The ink gives buildings and landscapes their strength - water color adds harmony and lightness - and acrylic provides energy,” according to Tom.

            His vision is that people will feel the personality, mystery, and energy that he sees when painting a 1920’s house in San Pedro, an old historic post office in Ojai, a town hall in Delft, a winery in Napa Valley, or a marsh at dusk. According to Hatch, “Buildings, landscapes and people showcase untold stories and awe.” Another piece Hatch hoped to display is a brass rubbing he created while being mentored as an artist in Holland. The original brass plate was constructed by village craftsmen for an Abbey in Belgium in the 14th century. Unfortunately, that piece was recently stolen, so a replica print of the rubbing will be displayed instead.

             Thomas was raised in Rancho Palos Verdes and then attended Arizona State University where he received his Architect degree in 1979. He is currently working as an architect and artist in Ventura County. His work will be shown on the second floor main area at The Loft, located at 401 S. Mesa Street in San Pedro from 6-9 pm. There will be appetizers, wine, sodas, and music. His mother and sister will be there to represent his art.  The music will be provided by Los Angeles Harbor College which was Tom's alma mater for undergraduate studies.  Twenty-five percent of all the proceeds from the sale of Hatch’s art will be donated to Harbor Interfaith Services of San Pedro, a large organization which supports, shelters and feeds homeless families.

            The First Thursday Art Walk is a congregation of several galleries along 7th Street and Mesa in conjunction with The Loft on Mesa and 4th Street that open their studios up to the public from 6-9 PM, on the first Thursday of every month. The Loft is an old 1900’s warehouse that was used as a laundry for the ships docking at the port. Now, it has become a co-op of approximately eight  eclectic artists from around the area who use The Loft as their studio. There are a number of excellent restaurants in the four block vicinity that participate also and offer live music. For more information about Hatchs' exhibit, contact (703) 362-3951