I've always been fascinated by stories.
Not just the stories people tell, but the ones the landscape quietly holds. An abandoned cabin. A winding trail. A weathered fence stretching toward the horizon. Every place has a history, and every history begins with people.
For years, I explored those stories through writing. As a novelist, nonfiction writer, and student of the American West, I immersed myself in the people, places, and events that shaped the frontier. The more I learned, the more I realized that history isn't really about the past. It's about human nature. Courage. Sacrifice. Hope. Redemption.
Then life took an unexpected turn.
Email: Tom@TomRizzo.com
Last Stand At Bitter Creek
I'm proud to hold membership in:
- Western Fictioneers
- Western Writers of America
- Wild West History Association
During treatment for non Hodgkin lymphoma, chemotherapy made it difficult to write. Looking for another creative outlet, I found an old sketchpad and began taking it with me to treatments. What started as a way to pass the time became something much deeper. Drawing, and spending time outdoors, gave me a renewed sense of purpose and a new way to tell stories.
Entirely self taught, I spent the years that followed developing my skills in colored pencil and acrylic while rediscovering the landscapes that had inspired me throughout my life.
Today, my writing and my artwork have become one.
Each painting begins with a place, but it doesn't end there. Every landscape carries the possibility of a story waiting just beyond the frame. Sometimes that story is quiet. Sometimes it's whimsical. Sometimes it's rooted in history. Together, they invite viewers to pause, imagine, and step into the American West through both words and images.
I've come to believe that every landscape has two stories. One is written in the land itself. The other is written by the people who pass through it. My hope is that my paintings and stories help you discover both.
Whether you're here because you enjoy Western history, love landscape art, or simply appreciate a good story, I'm glad you've stopped by. I hope my work encourages you to slow down, look a little closer, and discover the stories that surround us every day.
Discover Tom's Art
Evening Shadows
“Every landscape carries the possibility of a story waiting just beyond the frame.”
Tom Rizzo
Tom Rizzo
Twilight At
Broken Pass
Continue the Journey
Discover the people, places, and moments that shaped the American frontier.
Visit the gallery and discover the places that inspired the stories.
Copyright © Tom Rizzo. All Rights Reserved.
