TR Colletta

About the Artist

Thomas R Colletta was born in Buffalo, New York in 1952 and grew up with five siblings in the nearby Town of Tonawanda, where he acquired the nickname, “TR.”  His mother was of German ancestry and his Italian father entered through Ellis Island at age six in 1921. 

His first, eighth grade oil painting received an award in a community art exhibition, prompting a life-long journey at the easel. Though entering college as a history major, Thomas graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Graphic Design in 1974 from Buffalo State University. These years were also filled with lessons in Classical Pipe Organ and Bagpipes, while his paintings explored a variety of subjects.

Upon graduation in 1974, Thomas became Technical Director for the Charles Burchfield Center in Buffalo, NY, where he designed exhibits, brochures, and promotional material. The present Burchfield Penney museum acquired his work for their permanent collection in 2024. He also worked some years as a professional photographer for Longin studio in Niagara Falls, NY. During these years his passion for painting prompted several solo trips to Europe, where he could experience and absorb the many great masterpieces of Western Art and Architecture.

After moving to Hartford, Connecticut in 1978, Thomas began painting full time; found gallery representation; and accepted illustration commissions from publishing firms in Boston and New York. Almost exclusively his canvases depicted historic, urban landscapes - aptly titled by one critic: “pictorial time machines.” His first exhibition in 1979 was recently bestowed, in total, to the Hartford Public Library. During this time, he also held the position of Organist/Music Director for a church in New Britain, Connecticut and sang with the professional chorus, CONCORA.

After a 1986 painting seminar in New Hampshire that focused on the tenets of classical realism, color became a much stronger focus in his work and his subject matter expanded beyond period urban scenes to portraiture and figurative work as well.

In 1992, Thomas moved to San Francisco and his work was then exhibited in galleries on both coasts. His paintings found homes in private and corporate collections worldwide and in exhibitions at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco (2020 & 2023) and the Crocker Museum in Sacramento (2021). He sang with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus with whom he is honored to share a Grammy for their 1994 Brahms Requiem recording. 

In 1996 TR began a series of paintings, which focused on mechanical objects that accented American culture throughout the 20th century. Some of these objects offered him the opportunity to include subtle commentary, often veiled in the title. His recent series of typewriter paintings are designated as “Chapters,” with each chapter expressing a personal thought or famous quote that has influenced his life and work.

Thomas, gratefully, lives and works in beautiful San Francisco, California.