- Thomas Paul Asklar began representing the subject
matter of Niagara Falls in 1986. As a native of the city of Niagara Falls, the natural wonder fascinated him and existed as a conscious, constant enigma thought his entire existence. Visits to the waterfalls were frequent and the sound of Niagara's roar was a pervasive element of each day and night for Asklar. In addition, the reproductions of nineteenth century artists' representations of Niagara Falls, especially Frederic Edwin Church's 1857 masterpiece Niagara greatly appealed to him.
- When Thomas Paul Asklar was separated from the
cataracts during his undergraduate years at the Rochester Institute of Technology, his distant perspective stimulated interest in honoring this natural entity in visual form. Thundering Waters was the title bestowed upon the first painting of the series of images that continues into the present and are dedicated to the sublime nature of Niagara. The image of Niagara Falls is not what he attempts to represent with his viewers, but rather a collective lifetime experience : to glorify the power and beauty of nature.
- Due to the presence of two separate waterfalls
and the infinite combinations of variables such as seasons, time, weather, color scale and vantage point, the subject matter has proven to be limitless. Oscillation among these variables continues to intrigue Asklar, and this extreme passion provoked him to research the art history surrounding this wonder with his Master's Thesis of 1992, entitled Niagara Falls in Art
History. The research enriched and revitalized his consciousness associated with his subject, and provided him with an even greater desire to visually express his experiences with others.
- As a result of Thomas Paul Asklar's art exhibitions, his work now exists in art collections throughout the Untied States, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Japan. In addition, the printing of his painted images on limited edition prints and posters has further promoted the beauty of Niagara Falls and Asklar's representation of it internationally.
