Tom Krueger: Leelanau County’s Cosmic Drumming Potter

By Corin Blust
Sun contributor
Tom Krueger has been working with clay for 38 years, but pottery is just one facet of the creative and happy lifestyle that he has lived since his return from Vietnam 40 years ago. “When I got back, I only lasted about four months at a real job,” he said. Then he went to the University of Wisconsin, where he “touched clay and within six months said, ‘sign me up for that program!’” That was in 1969, and Tom has never looked back.
Krueger creates a variety of interesting artwork including simply constructed drums that he uses to administer art programs in schools and fantastical, psychedelic wall constructions based on his memories of the sky from his time spent in the Air Force. He also makes beautifully decorated, carefully thrown ceramics.

Tom generally applies his paints or glazes with an airbrush or a technique he calls “mad painting.” This is a style of painting everyone can do resulting in a “stippled, burnished look that is the result of rapid manipulation. You can’t think about it, it happens fast.” Although the airbrush results in a uniquely textured piece, Tom especially loves “mad painting” because it allows people who lack fine motor control to create something extremely beautiful.
Tom’s architectural, site specific wall hangings are an ethereal tribute to his memories from Vietnam, though to non-veterans they are simply a beautiful abstract landscape. “I met a pilot in Traverse City who said ‘That’s what we used to see at 40,000 feet!’ It’s just the same color as the sky,” he told me.
He began creating these wall hangings in 1993 after completing the remodel of a 3,000 square foot house, during which he realized, “I’m ready for sculpture.” These pieces are made from wood substrates layered together to create depth. The wood bases are then coated with about 20 layers of Gesso and polymers, sanded, and finally airbrushed with a variety of acrylics to create their delicious finish.
The piece shown here is from The Orb series Tom created in 2000 using photographs of the moon that he took during the Winter Solstice. This particular piece hangs in a private home in Door County, Wisc. It is about seven feet long and weighs a staggering 45 pounds — quite a bit of weight to hang on a wall, but Krueger is not worried about it staying put. “I work on the structure and engineering first, and then let the aesthetics rock! … I paint the illusion of light,” he told me. It takes Krueger about 90 to 120 days to make a single wall piece like this one.
Krueger began painting in his own iridescent style when, “in September of ’83, 10 months after my son was born, I was ready for a change. I visualized the mountains in Vietnam, the twilight- cleansing, healing visualizations.” This visualization became a catharsis for Tom, leading him to where he is today with his painting techniques.
“Artwork is my own personal mental health,” said Tom. “There’s magic in what I paint, it’s therapeutic for people … it’s always about exploring. Accidents aren’t negative.” He believes that people who view accidents in a negative way “just missed a bunch of stuff that could take them to another place.”
Kids are also a big inspiration to Krueger, who loves the youthful, loose attitudes they have. In the school programs Tom administers he takes about 30 drums to schools and gives the children paintbrushes to decorate them with, the only rule being that they cannot wash their brushes out. “Adults are so tight — but kids — they are non-judgmental, they go with the flow. They don’t even intellectualize the word ‘flow.’ It’s not a concept they need,” Tom told me.
He also enjoys bringing light and excitement to the lives of developmentally disabled individuals of any age. “In Ann Arbor [at the Art Fair], I met an autistic girl,” Krueger recalls, “I drummed a bit, and she came right to life!” Tom has administered several programs for developmentally disabled people throughout his career.
Sound intriguing? You can see Tom’s artwork in person and speak with this local visionary on Union Street in downtown Traverse City on August 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., July 26 at The Pine art show on the Northwestern Michigan Community College campus, and at the Leland Potters and Sculptors Guild Show at the Old Art Building during Labor Day weekend. He also appears at the Farmer’s Market in Glen Arbor on Tuesdays and the Farmer’s Market in Leland on Thursdays.
Finally, his work is always visible at the Michigan Artist’s Gallery in Suttons Bay and at the Twisted Fish Gallery in Elk Rapids. His studio at 945 Schomberg Road in Lake Leelanau features a solar sauna and an aviary and is available to be visited by appointment until September, when he will begin holding regular hours. For more information, call Tom at (920) 655-1721.