Tom Fleming (artist)


Thomas Fleming is an artist who has worked on comic books, the fantasy/science fiction genre, and gaming. Fleming has been recognized with multiple awards throughout his career including four nominations for the Chesley Award. In 2012, a federal court awarded him damages due by HomeGoods, which sold unauthorized reproductions of two of his paintings.

Early life

Born and raised in Putnam Valley, New York, Fleming knew he wanted to be an artist at a young age. Fleming's high school art teacher Jay Palefsky played a crucial role in Fleming's early development as an artist, introducing him to more advanced and unconventional artistic concepts. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. There, he earned a BFA and graduated at the top of his class in 1988.

Career

Fleming's professional career began with freelance work from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine upon graduation doing black & White illustrations.
In 1991 Fleming landed a full-time position at WWE as a costume designer, logo designer, prop creator, and Illustrator. Fleming's artwork for WWE appeared on Wrestlemania T-shirts, VHS covers, and other merchandise items. Fleming made his first impact on pop culture by creating and designing characters for the WWE including Papa Shango, Crush, Adam Bomb, 1-2-3 Kid, and Hall of Famer Razor Ramon. Fleming also designed and created the scepter for the first pay-per-view "King of the Ring" event in 1993.
Fleming returned to freelance in the mid-1990s and has painted trading cards, comic book covers, paperback covers, magazine covers, and posters for companies such as Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Heavy Metal Magazine, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, World of Warcraft, Magic the Gathering, White Wolf Publishing, Cracked magazine, and others.
Fleming was chosen by Skybox/DC Comics to paint the "Doomsday" and "Funeral for a Friend" trading card during the legendary "Death of Superman" story line in the 1990s. He produced covers for Marvel featuring Elektra.
Fleming is known for Art Nouveau drawings and paintings that have won awards and Chesley Award nominations.
Fleming is the author of Draw & Paint Fantasy Females, published by Impact, an imprint of F+W. It has been translated in three languages.
Fleming also has done artwork for the film & TV industry including: "Stay Alive" starring Frankie Muniz, "Stateside " starring Val Kilmer, "Surface", and "Life". Fleming was also official artist for The Jodie Foster movie "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys"

HomeGoods lawsuit

In 2010, Fleming, who lives in North Carolina, discovered that HomeGoods stores in California were selling unauthorized full-size reproductions of two of his six-foot tall pieces. HomeGoods had paid ATI Industries, a painting reproductions wholesaler, $45 each for 120 pieces, which it then sold for $99 each in its stores. In 2012, in the outcome of a non-jury trial, a federal judge found HomeGoods and co-defendant ATI Industries liable for copyright infringement, with an award set at $10,800. Fleming later settled for an undisclosed amount.

Awards and recognition