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Thomas H. Payne was born in 1929 to Jennie and T. B. Payne. He started drawing at an early age and has never wearied of it.

A former "flower child" of the 1960's and like many of those children, Tom was convicted for drug possession. The price was a five and one-half year sentence in California's Folsom Prison. It was here that he began to seriously paint. He became a member of the Progressive Artists League which included several very accomplished painters. They were generous with their tools, materials and advice about techniques. 
 

Starting with some nearly empty paint tubes and old brushes, he began his painting odyssey. When that first painting sold in the prison gift shop, Tom declares, "I was hooked." In prison he had the time to study art in depth, learning about composition, about color and about the way to use them for the best effects. 
 

His prison days are far behind him, but Tom's love of painting remains. He left prison and settled in Arkansas for a new start. He took his new-found skills and started a business in his father's hometown, Hot Springs, Arkansas. In addition to a new life he found a new faith and accepted Jesus Christ into his life. Tom's positiveness is reflected in the integration of his life and his art. 
  

Whether painting florals or abstracts, his artwork concentrates on the beautiful. He has no interest in portraying ugliness or grotesque subjects.