Tony Gomez

After leaving the army in 1972, I used the benefits from the GI Bill to attend college. I wasn’t particularly interested in obtaining a degree, instead focusing on subjects that would help my personal growth. I took night courses in History, Music, Film and Fine Art, at Jersey City State College, The New School, The School of Visual Arts and NYU, eventually settling on a Fine Arts/Photography major. I didn’t complete the credits to graduate but, as I said earlier, that wasn’t really my interest in the first place.I became friendly with a few of my professors, who weren’t much older than I, and made some good contacts in the art/photography field. Through one of my professors, I met a photographer named Irene Fay, who was a big influence on me and we became good friends. At the time, she was represented by the Witkin Gallery in NYC and she had discussion groups at her apartment in the city to which I was frequently invited, which exposed me to very interesting people in the field.

In the mid 70’s, I had a few shows of my work at Jersey City State College, The Jersey City Museum and the Third Eye Gallery in NYC. I had no interest in doing commercial photographer so my options for a career in photography were fairly limited. All the while, I was working a full-time job as a draftsman for a conveyor company. In 1976, the owner of the company sold out to one of our distributors and I accepted a promotion to general manager, which meant that I had to put photography on the back burner. After that, I worked for an Export company for a few years and then a different automation manufacturing company in Brewster, NY, where I eventually became a partner. During those years, I maintained my interest in photography and visual arts as a spectator, but my focus was on my career and raising a family.

In 2017, I sold my shares in the company and started on a glide path towards retirement which culminated in my full retirement in January 2024. In preparation for it, I decided to renew my interest in photography, purchased a digital camera and taught myself Lightroom. I have been doing photography since then, mainly shooting while traveling to new places, where I can have an uncluttered mind and fresh eyes.

I print, mat and frame my own work. I also have a keen interest in woodworking so, in addition to furniture, I’ve recently been making frames. A few years ago, I had an exhibit at the Sherman Library. Around September of last year, I decided to join the Sherman Artists Association and have participated in the Farm Day event, the Live 4 Art show in Pawling and the Open Studio this past December.

Tony Gomez, "Ice Capped Trees - Sherman"

Tony Gomez, "Illinois Barn - Evening"

Tony Gomez, "Lipizzaner and Handler - Vienna"

Tony Gomez, "Window with Curtain - Paris"