Nashville Arts Magazine

My Favorite Painting

Pam Lewis

President and CEO of PLA Media

Monet at Giverny Bridge

by Thomas E. Armstrong

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When I was a young student in high school, I ordered the Time Life series of books of famous artists which I still own and treasure in my library.  A new book came each month and Monet was the one I loved the most. Years later I lived in France and was fortunate to visit the captivating gardens and home at Giverny which were Monet’s muse.

When I saw this particular painting I felt that I was back there. I like the way the artist has put Monet on that famous bridge looking down at the flowers. I have the perfect place for this painting in my home. I love to collect paintings that remind me of my trips around the world. This one is very special to me.

Thomas E. Armstrong is a life-long Tennessee resident. After he graduated from high school he spent three years in the U.S. Army producing artwork for the Army Security Agency School in the division of training aids. Upon his return home, Armstrong continued to hone his artistic skills at the Harris School of Art in Nashville both as a student and an instructor. Armstrong also studied in the south of France and at Watkins Institute where he met painter and sculptress Nancy Rogers. On two occasions they took trips to France, one to visit twenty-eight museums and another to see the most beautiful part of Paris—its art and architecture.

For most of his career Armstrong was an artist-illustrator for the United Methodist Publishing House. Every year Armstrong exhibits his work at area art events, including Brentwood Academy in Nashville, the Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia, Tennessee, and the “Fall into Art” festival in Hendersonville.