Born in 1988, TJ Cunningham grew up in the quintessential, small New England town of Cambridge, Vermont, where he spent most of his time outdoors. The small farms, wooded hills and shallow streams of his boyhood haunts were fertile with inspiration. It was the perfect place to awaken a desire to create. TJ pursued this desire into adulthood by studying commercial art at Pensacola Christian College. It was there that he discovered oil paint. He often describes the experience as, “love at first sight.”

Since the beginning of TJ’s career in fine art, he has come to focus on the landscape and spends much of his time outdoors painting from life. His work continues to grow in notoriety. In 2014, Southwest Art highlighted Cunningham as one of America’s emerging artists in their annual “21 under 31” article. Recent awards include Finalist, 14th International Art Renewal Center Salon Competition, 2019, and Top 25 Finalist, 8th Annual Plein Air Salon, 2019. He has also received “Best overall Oil” in the Plein Air Salon Competition (2015 and 2020), First Place Landscape, Portrait Society of America (2016), Honorable Mention, 13th Annual Art Renewal Center Salon Competition (2016), 5th Place, International Portrait Competition (2014), and Exceptional Merit, The Portrait Society of America (2013).

Honors and Awards

2020     Best Overall Painting, Dec/January bimonthly Plein Air Salon Competition

2019     Finalist, 14th International Art Renewal Center Salon Competition, Port Reading, NJ

2019     Animal Award of Excellence, 28th National Juried Exhibition of Oil Painters of America, St. George, UT

2019     Top 25 Finalist, 8th Annual Plein Air Salon 

2018     Best Building, August/September bimonthly Plein Air Salon Competition

2018     Outstanding Composition and Technique Award of Excellence, 27th National Juried Exhibition of Oil Painters            of America, Steamboat Springs, CO

2018     Honorable Mention, 13th International Art Renewal Center Salon Competition, Port Reading, NJ

2016     First Place Landscape, 2016 Member’s Only Competition, Portrait Society of America

2016     Honorable Mention, 2016 International Portrait Competition, Portrait Society of America

2015     Best Overall Oil, October/November bimonthly Plein Air Salon Competition

2015     The Bold Brush Award, October 2015 Bold Brush Painting Competition

2014     Fifth Place, 2014 International Portrait Competition, Portrait Society of America

2014     Travis H. Toland Memorial Award, The 23rd Annual Juried Art Show, Breckenridge Fine Arts Center,           Breckenridge, TX

2013     Exceptional Merit, 2013 International Portrait Competition, Portrait Society of America

Solo Shows

2017     The River, Edgewater Gallery, Middlebury, VT

2013     Adirondack Lake, Edgewater Gallery, Middlebury, VT.

Selected Exhibitions

2019     28th National Juried Exhibition of Oil Painters of America, St. George, UT

2019      Summer in New England, Susan Powell Fine Art, Madison, CT

2018     Nurture, Old Main Gallery, Bozeman, MT

2018     Rising Stars, Argosy Gallery, Bar Harbor, ME

2018     Summer Salon, Collins Galleries, Orleans, MA

2018     This Land is…, ARCADIA CONTEMPORARY, Pasadena, CA

2018     Exploring Air, Edgewater Gallery, Stowe, VT

2018     27th OPA National Juried Exhibition, Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, CO

2017     Five and Under, ARCADIA CONTEMPORARY, Pasadena, CA

2016     Mountain Oyster Club Art Show, Mountain Oyster Club, Tucson, AZ

2015     Joseph McGurl, Karen Blackwood, T.J. Cunningham, Marc Dalessio & Friends, Haynes Galleries, Thomaston, ME

2014     Mountain Oyster Club Art Show, Mountain Oyster Club, Tucson, AZ

2014     Celebrating the Portrait as Timeless Art, Haynes Galleries, Nashville, TN

2011       Annual Members Show, Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester, VT

2010     Impressions of New England, The Bennington Art Center, Bennington, VT 

Publications 

“What to Know About Painting Snow” PleinAir Magazine, February/March 2019

“Art of the Portrait: Master Showcase” International Artist, August / September 2014

"21 Under 31: Young Artists to Watch in 2014" Southwest Art Magazine, August 2014

“Art of the Portrait: Master Showcase” International Artist, December/January 2014

” The Artist as a Young Man Art Review: T.J. Cunningham at The Art House” Seven Days, August 2010

“Moments of inspiration spark young career” Addison Independent, August 9, 2010