Tommy Thompson, owner of Village Prints of Florence, Alabama, has more than 30 years’ experience in art, photography, printing, and marketing. The native Mississippian studied art at Mississippi State University, where he also supervised the art and photography division of the Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station. Thompson began his unique business in 1984, and since that time he and his daughters Michelle and Melanie have drawn hundreds of towns in 12 states across the South. Struck by the pride of older Americans in the heritage of their towns, Thompson transforms glimpses of the past found in old, faded photographs and memories into composite drawings, which are then printed as limited editions. Collectors of Thompson’s prints sometimes find it difficult to locate someone who is willing to part with their prints once all the prints of a particular town are sold, which sometimes occurs in a week or two. Because these art prints are limited editions, they represent an investment that increases in value with time.
Michelle Thompson Rideout
Michelle Rideout is fast becoming one of the South’s most prolific artists in capturing small town Americana. Rideout’s interest in art was sparked while she was a small child looking over her father’s shoulder as he was drawing. She graduated from the University of North Alabama with a bachelor of science degree in graphic design. Soon afterwards she began working with her father Tommy Thompson, also known for his sketches of Southern towns. Rideout’s composite pencil drawings reveal a meticulous attention to detail, which gives a delicate quality to the overall print. Her prints have often been used for fund-raisers, raising money around the country and receiving greater prominence through features in national magazines. Rideout has also done drawings of the homes of record producer Sam Phillips and late author Alex Haley.
Melanie Thompson Gentle
Melanie Gentle may be the youngest member of the Village Prints team, but this does not diminish her enthusiasm, her talent, or her desire for perfection. After receiving a bachelor of science degree in marketing from the University of North Alabama, Gentle entered the retail sales arena. Next, she turned her attention to caring for her family, participating in church and community activities, and drawing for her dad. Today, between car pools and attending the sports activities of her two daughters, she draws towns and benefits from the sage advice of her father and sister. For Gentle, art comes naturally from her father and grandfather. After spending a lifetime critiquing her father’s work, she is now using this experience to enhance her own artwork.
Bob Thompson
The late Bob Thompson made many unique contributions to the work of Village Prints. After 30 years as an illustrator with all the inherent pressures of short deadlines, the demand for extreme accuracy, and the myriads of details, Bob enjoyed his final years pursuing a more casual lifestyle of roaming the back roads with his sketch pad and paint box. Bob Thompson was born in Greenville, Mississippi, in 1927 but grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where his parents moved when he was young. After entering military service during World War II, he traveled extensively and lived in a number of areas, both in the United States and overseas. Although he studied with such notable artists as John Pike and Eliot O'Hara, Bob was mostly self-taught. He received additional formal art training at the Kirkman Technical School in Chattanooga and from the Famous Artists Schools in Westport, Connecticut. Bob worked with watercolor, acrylic, pencil, and pen and ink; he concentrated on subjects of rural and historic interest. He frequently conducted workshops in water color and basic drawing for both adults and children in Athens, Alabama, where he lived and worked until his untimely death. He was instrumental in organizing and operating the Athens Railroad Art Gallery. His work grew in demand and many of his paintings, prints, and sketches are in both public and private collections throughout this country and abroad.
Rusty Bradley
Rusty Bradley is a very talented artist whose work is found in many unusual places around the South, including the Memphis Zoo, Davy Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg, TN, and various schools and libraries. Even though Bradley honed his art skills at Martin College in Pulaski, TN, and Memphis State University, his talent is primarily one that has been self developed. An award winner for his portraits, Bradley has exhibited his work in shows throughout the Southeast, including the Southeast Regional Art Exhibition at the Parthenon in Nashville, TN. Besides completing composite drawings of towns for Village Prints, Bradley operates his own studio, Bradley Sign and Graphic Studio in Lawrenceburg, TN, where he designs and creates works of art in the form of commercial redwood carved signs that grace businesses and other establishments throughout the Southeast.
