In 1989, he was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award at Davidson College, forty years after his father received the same award. His family has strong ties to Davidson College, where his father and other relatives attended. Tom Clark's religious beliefs played a significant role in his artistic creations, including the gnomes he sculpted, which had a profound impact on the collectibles market. Before becoming a professor at Davidson College, he served briefly as a missionary in the Appalachian Mountains. Thomas also trained in sculpture at Roberts School of Art in Aberdeen, the Museum School of Art in Boston Massachusetts, and at City and Guilds of London School of Art.

in Theology from University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He continued his education receiving a Bachelor's in Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. Thomas Fetzer Clark, or just Tom Clark, a native of Elizabethtown, North Carolina, graduated from Davidson College in 1949 with a degree in English. Clark added a personal touch to each gnome by giving it a name and a story, and also included a hidden coin somewhere on the statue.ĭr. These fans were known to collect multiples of the same gnomes, but with different paint schemes.

The gnomes gained popularity among a wide range of people including former first lady Barbara Bush, actor Bob Newhart, and best-selling author Stephen King. They are no longer in production but are still available in the secondary market.

Many of the gnomes are based on popular culture figures, such as sports stars and celebrities, while others are based on traditional gnome imagery. The first Tom Clark gnomes were created in the 1970s, and the line has since grown to include a wide variety of characters and themes. They are known for their detailed sculpting and hand-painted finishes, and have become popular among gnome collectors. And follow the Gnomes on Facebook.Īll Gnome products are available through the Rien Poortvliet webshop.Tom Clark gnomes are a line of collectible gnomes created by artist Tom Clark. Check the special 40th anniversary website for more information. In 2016 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Gnomes. All of his books have been well-received and translated into many languages, acquiring him both national and international fame. He has become known to the general public with books like: He was one of us, In my grandfather’s house, Dogs, Horses, and Secrets of the Gnomes. Rien Poortvliet’s talent for drawing manifested itself early on and he quickly established himself as an independent illustrator. He captured everything with his realistic drawings and paintings, expressing his love for nature. Poortvliet’s entire oeuvre is impressive, to say the least from farm life and hunting, to the workings of the gnome. His drawings told the story, supplemented by a short caption at the most. Rien Poortvliet considered himself a drawing storyteller.

Gnomes poortvliet