The path to art

Tom Cech had an urge to create ever since he could remember. What started with a weekly stack of comic books and countless doodles eventually turned into a more serious endeavor around 2010, when he sold his first painting at a charity auction in Amsterdam. Ever since that moment he has been diligently drawing and painting, honing his skills and developing his own signature.

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Another pivotal moment came in 2014, when Tom had his first solo exhibition in Leuven. In 2015 he took part in a group exhibition in a Gallery in Rotselaar. Around the same time Tom made his first mural in the city park of Leuven, expanding his practice from studio work to public spaces. In 2020 he had a second solo exhibition at the Federal Government for Labor, but due to covid restrictions no visitors were allowed. In 2021 he was among the finalists of Belgicart, a painting competition organized by Bozar Brussels and curated by Sam Dillemans.

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More recently (October 2025) Tom took part in a curated event on a private island in Menorca (Spain) called ‘Strange Heaven Quarantine’, where he followed masterclasses and received mentorship by renowned artists and curators such as Vincent Desiderio, Yasha Young, Tania Rivilis, Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Edward Povey, Laurie Lipton and JAW Cooper. An incredibly challenging and inspiring moment for him as an artist and as a person.

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​Inspiration

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Raised as a single child, Tom Cech had a lot of time to observe and analyze the world around him. He became fascinated by human behavior and, more specifically, faces. A facial expression can tell you a lot, if not more than verbal communication, if you pay attention. Even though Tom was always a rather introverted person, he also wanted to express and share his ideas, so it was no surprise that in the early stages of his career he worked as a teacher (art and ethics) and later on became a social worker.

Apart from his ambiguous relationship with people Tom found inspiration in philosophy, biology and the duality of human life in general. Many art movements and styles have also had a great impact on his work: renaissance, impressionism, post-modernism, illustration and street art. From masters like Caravaggio, Manet and Rockwell to contemporary artists like Denis Sarazhin, Nicolas Uribe and Alex Kanevsky. Just to name a few. Esthetically he has a particular fondness for light and shadow and – perhaps most of all- color.