(b. 1942)

Tom Uttech is well known for his paintings of imaginary woodland scenes that celebrate the outdoors, nature, and wildlife. The topic is near and dear to his heart having grown up in northern Wisconsin. His paintings are based on the woods of the Precambrian Shield, a stretch of land across the northern United States and South-Eastern Canada, where the ancient igneous rock that forms the core of the continent is exposed, and miles of lakes, woodland, and wildlife lie untouched by human influence.  While Uttech is generally known for painting and he is considered one of the leading landscape painters in the United States today, he is also a sensitive and talented photographer. He continues to live, paint, and do photography in Wisconsin.

Tom's artwork is in major museum and private collections. After completing his studies at Layton School of Art and the University of Cincinnati, Uttech was a professor of art at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, until 1998. Since the inclusion of his paintings in the 1975 Whitney Biennial, Uttech’s work has been the subject of over thirty-five one-person exhibitions.

During 2019, Kohler Foundation was honored to work with Tom Uttech and the Museum of Wisconsin Art on a collection that included 162 photographic images. Kohler Foundation worked with fine art photographer Suzanne Rose who, working hand-in-glove with Tom, digitally preserved the images and had large format prints created. The body of work was exhibited at the Museum of Wisconsin Art and gifted to the museum for their permanent collection.