About m o t
The First & Last Name in Art
If you don’t know m o t yet, you will. His art is too colorful, too graphic
and just too well deserving to ignore. His eye catching abstracts, portraits
and animal art draw you in like a kid to a cartoon, yet leave you in wonder,
a witness to something deeply meaningful, yet fun and edgy beyond its
simple allure. m o t‘s art comprises a vast collection of designs instilled
with vision and purpose. It’s time now for the rise... Time for the public to
discover, m o t.
m o t set out for art school never dreaming he would be completely
transformed into a whole new artist.
m o t, whose real name is Tom Sawyer, enrolled at Ringling School of Art
and Design in 1983 with the dream to be the best realist artist he could be.
Sawyer was focused on being a serious contender in the field of Photorealism.
During Sawyer’s first year, his detailed pencil drawings were already becoming
popular and defining as his signature style. In fact, Sawyer’s realism drawings
were so strong one wondered why the need for art school? Sawyer would
quickly reply, ”Pencil drawing wasn’t the best medium to compete with other
Realist. I felt I needed to paint. So my single purpose coming to art school
was to better my skills as an oil painter". It seemed Sawyer had targeted his
needs and thus created a solid plan focused for success as a Realist painter.
Sawyer’s reputation as an outstanding pencil artist was not only becoming
known to his fellow peers, but also to his professors. Sawyer’s professors
supported his passion for Realism art, but felt it necessary for Sawyer to study
other artist and art movements opposite his style. After a year and a half of
assignments, many reluctant studies of, (in Sawyer’s words), ‘crazy abstract
painters’, artist well outside Sawyer’s pursuit and scope of realism art, the
overload of these undesirable assignments and pressure deadlines ultimately
gave birth overnight to a rebel artist… A new artist born named m o t.
Just as Sawyer's pseudonym is the backward spelling of his name, m o t's
creations were also the polar opposite to Sawyer’s realistic aesthetic and
artistic aspirations. The m o t persona is wildly filled with energy and drive.
Coping with a sudden duality was difficult. At first, Sawyer treated his new
self, m o t, as a satirical clown, a comic relief to the assignment stress at
school. Sawyer even decided to let m o t take on his class assignments,
actually created by the artist known as m o t. Sawyer was not only unprepared
for the about-face change inside of him, but also incredibly surprised by the
favorable wave of support his m o t art received. Viewers didn’t see the carefree
joke behind m o t art the same way Sawyer did. Their eyes saw some something
of value Sawyer was yet too blind to see.
The growth of m o t was becoming unending and seemingly out of control. It
took a prayer to God for a choice to be made. Sawyer agreed to feed the m o t
styled art as long as the gift kept flowing. “As soon as the ideas dry up, I’m back
to my Realism art,” says Sawyer. Needless to say, the gift kept on giving.
Sawyer’s perception of his new self, m o t, eventually became a strong positive.
Sawyer saw how his m o t art could reach a new audience communicating with
a subjective voice… A new tone never before experienced through his realism art.
m o t over the years has matured into its own style and entity. Several series
have spun from the m o t name including a popular, zany, whimsical menagerie of animals called, m o t - z o o.
There is much to discover and celebrate inside the world of m o t. So stay tuned,
bookmark this site, as many new series and facets of m o t are being developed
for gallery exhibits and unique art products.
And before you leave, treat yourself by visiting the new online m o t - s h o p!
You too can be a well appreciated patron of the Arts by supporting m o t!
