I'm Tom,
EAST COAST. MANHATTAN
I have been an artist for as long as I can remember, and, for almost 70 years, have enjoyed creating art in many media; from small pen and ink drawings to larger-than-life chainsaw carvings.
I worked as a commercial artist for a while, but found that I preferred to express myself artistically in a way that was authentic; based on my own perceptions and emotions. My wife, Karen, and I spent time in Europe, enjoying the art of the great masters, in many museums, outdoor street sculptures, and renaissance architecture. In the 60's, we moved to Manhattan where I studied at the Art Students League, and shared a studio at the corner of Grand and Mulberry with artist and Art History professor at St. John's University, Marietta Warner Siegel, PhD. Later, I built a "Artist in Residence" studio for us, downtown, at Chambers and Church, in the area now known as "SoHo". I also enjoyed my job, working at the Museum of Modern Art. I met many other artists, and became an assistant for Jerry Jofen, helping him with his adventurous experimental underground filmmaking career.
I remained close friends with my high school art teachers who always encouraged my creativity. They advised me to find a place where I could continue to create art freely, and develop my own expressive individual style. We took this advice seriously, and headed west.
WEST COAST. CALIFORNIA
WWEST COAST.
We ended up in rural northern California in 1971, We started a family and a farm in the wilderness of the "Lost Coast" of Northern California, near the King Range Conservation Area. Our goal was to become self sufficient by farming, using permaculture and organic methods. We developed a homestead, raised animals, planted orchards and gardens, and have become a legal California cannabis cultivation facility. We have two children, now grown adults with families and homes of their own. They were a big part of our unusual rustic, off-grid, lifestyle of very few modern conveniences, and a lot of hard work. Through the years, I was able to find ways to create, and I have documented our lives, and the beauty of the nature that surrounds us, through painting and sculpting.
ARTIST and FARMER
Karen and I still live on our farm, and I generally work outside in the mornings to maintain our rural home. Every season has its demands; cultivating, pruning fruit trees, picking fruit, cutting and splitting firewood, cutting and burning brush, stream management, and maintaining our road.. In most afternoons, I spend time in my studio creating art; now, I am working on oil on canvas paintings. I feel a close connection with nature, and my art is inspired by the beauty and colors of the wilderness, trees and flowers. My art is spontaneous and emotional, and I hope you will enjoy these colorful expressions of my world as I see it.
Hi, I'm Karen,
I want to add connections to more information about Tom's life and art, in case you are interested in more details. He prefers to express himself in colors, and generally relies on me to be his connection to the modern digital world. He avoids anything that requires typing, and I am happy to help so that he can spend his time creating. We are in the process of retiring from the farm, leaving our son and grandsons in charge, to spend more time and attention to his art.
MEDIA INTEREST
We have had media exposure at our farm, mostly regarding our legal cannabis cultivation business, Amaranth Farms, We have been organized since 2016, and work together with our family of three generations. Visitors to our farm are always interested in Tom's art as well, and it has been photographed and filmed in the articles and documentary. I am including the information below:
FILM DOCUMENTARY:: "The Profit in Marijuana Country", produced by Marcus Lemonis, on CNBC; first aired on January 2, 2018. We are a part of this documentary, and Marcus visited our farm to see our home and facility, and interview us, our son and daughter. Tom was working on a painting, and there i a clip of him painting. It is available on YouTube.
GENTLEMAN'S QUARTERLY magazine, November 2021, article: "The Last Glimpses of Vanishing Hippie Utopias", by David Jacob Kramer, investigates the "back to the land" movement, as it is today. David interviewed people from Marin county to Humboldt county. Most of the places were communes that have crumbled over time, and only ruins are found. We have a small family farm, and he was happy to see our place intact and functioning. Our old friend and neighbor from the early days in the 70's, Richard Evans, escorted him, along unmarked dirt roads out to our place. We built our house, over many years, with poles and wood from our land, using a chainsaw and hand tools. One of the most striking features of our house is the stained glass window that Richard built for/with us, and there is a photo of it in the article. Many of Richard's stained glass creations have been destroyed through the years, and he thanked us for taking such good care of ours.
The Economist: article by Aryn Braun, May 14, 2022 "In California, the world's largest legal weed market is going up in smoke" explores the crumbling cannabis market, and possibilities to survive through the regulations, fees, and current market conditions.
Photography book, "Property Rights", by Mitch Epstein. There is a photo of Tom, after a long day of farm work. Mitch uses an old time black and white camera with a hood and stand, and asked Tom to relax and sit still for one hour!, for the slow exposure to be clear. That was difficult, but, he took off his glasses ,and stared into space.
Property Rights, Mitch Epstein, Tom Hessler, Humboldt County
WINE POUR magazine article, Fall 2025. "Cann Cultivate", by Jim Clark. Jim interviews farmers in the Emerald Triangle; Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity, to understand some of the history of the area. He explores the techniques for propagating, growing, harvesting, processing, storing, curing and selling the specialty of the area: Natural Sungrown Cannabis, the healthy choice, for both people and the environment.
