Editorial - Léonella

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Artist Spotlight: Tom Chabolla

ART MAR 25, 2026

🕒 8 min read

As part of my journey of growth and creative exploration, I'm excited to spotlight artists from all disciplines (painters, dancers, musicians, etc) whose work inspires reflection, transformation, and new perspectives.

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Tom Chabolla is a California born abstract artist who moved to Silver Spring,MD over twenty years ago, where he is currently based. He started painting in 2020, though it is only in the last couple of years that he has been able to comfortably own the title “artist”. After experimenting with watercolors, oils and gouache, he adopted acrylics on stretched canvas as his media of choice.

I have included my Q&A with Tom (his words, in his own voice) below in addition to a glimpse of his artwork.

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Hi Mr. Tom, we’re so grateful for the opportunity to hear more about your wisdom. We believe every artist has a unique journey, and it’s often where the most powerful stories live. We’d love to start there. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in art?

I grew up in Southern California to parents who immigrated from Mexico in the 1920s. I never felt comfortable doing art and usually steered clear of it whenever possible. However, in 2020 I suffered a major mental health crisis that landed me in the hospital and in outpatient treatment for three months. Art therapy was a core part of the therapy program.

I was fortunate to have an insightful art therapist to work with who made connections between what I was dealing with in therapy and what I put down on paper. I had what felt like a major breakthrough during a session where we painted without a theme to the music of the Grateful Dead’s version of “Not Fade Away.”

The art therapy gradually became a productive outlet rather than a chore to be feared. It was so helpful that I continued independently with the practice when I left the program. And here I am today.

Thank you for sharing that. It's powerful to see how your relationship with art evolved through such a pivotal time in your life. It makes us curious about how that shift translated into your identity as a creative. When do you think is the first moment you considered yourself an artist or creative?

From almost the very start after therapy, I posted my work on social media. I had hid my mental illness from myself and others my entire life and I made a commitment to myself after the outpatient program that I wasn’t going to hide it any longer. I was very public about my mental illness—both the crisis and healing process—and decided that what I was doing with art should be part of that public exercise.

All along the way, people were very affirming of what I produced. They called it art and began referring to me as an artist but I actively resisted that. This was one of the ways I was making myself very small. I told myself people were just being nice to me.

Over the course of the first few years, I joined the Capitol Hill Art League, submitted work to a couple of small shows where I won an award and then actually sold a painting or two. I began giving my art away to friends as a way of showing gratitude to them for their support. I was painting everyday and eventually had about 400 paintings in my basement. I was running out of room. With the encouragement of my family, I took a risk and decided to hold an art sale out of my garage in May 2025. My son-in-law helped me advertise it through social media. I told myself that I was going to be happy if I sold a dozen paintings and a few people showed up.

To my amazement, about 125 people came and I sold about 150 paintings. For the show, I decided to make my art as affordable as possible so that people could buy a piece of original abstract art to place in their homes. It was an incredible affirmation of my work. People told me how they connected with my paintings—many talked about an emotional connection to the pieces that they bought.

It was overwhelming. I finally felt I had earned the right to call myself an artist. I held another sale last November that had a similar turnout. I plan on holding another one on May 2 of this year. I’ll be honest, it has been great to sell that many paintings that help pay for supplies so that I can continue doing this. But for me success was hearing people say that they found an emotional connection to my work. That is what continues to feed me.

It’s really meaningful to hear how much those emotional connections have come to define your idea of success. It seems like that sense of purpose could influence the way your work has developed. How do you think your artistic style has evolved over time?

That’s a difficult question for me to answer. I feel that I am too close to my work to be able to see the evolution. People tell me that they see it but it hard for me to get that perspective.

Circles have been a centerpiece of my work since the outset. The circle is a timeless symbol of wholeness and groundedness. My self-critic tells me that all the circles make my work too redundant and unimaginative and I’ve tried many times to leave that symbol behind. But I always come back to it. Right now its in almost every painting I make.

The way you describe returning to the circle feels especially meaningful.What inspires your creative process?

Another hard question. My creative process flows is the most fluid and unrestricted when I can be in touch with my deep inner feelings and emotions while I’m painting. If I get stuck in my head, the process can be excruciating.

What does your day or week as an artist usually consist of, whether you are part-time or full-time ? Walk me through it.

I am retired so I have a lot of flexibility. I guess I am full-time. I’ll be out in my garage/studio early in the morning looking at what I’ve done the day before—taking it in and reconnecting with the work. I’ll varnish some pieces. Then mid morning I usually start and I like to have uninterrupted blocks of time. I’ll paint for a half an hour, go inside and then come out again adding layers, repainting, adding texture until it feels done. Some days I’ll paint for three or four hours total.

You mentioned that you found art and commmitted to tbe practice later on on in life, but how has your upbringing shaped your confidence in pursuing your vision as an artist, if at all?

I can’t think of anything that shaped my confidence for art growing up. Seeing or appreciating art wasn’t part of my culture. I don’t say that as an indictment against anyone…it just was. I didn’t know it was missing from my life. Until a few years ago, I never thought I had artistic ability and, in fact, I actively avoided any type of artistic exercise.

What continues to shape my confidence is how painting feeds the ongoing healing process for my mental illness. It’s also the community of people I’ve gotten to know over the last year who want to put one of my paintings up on the wall of their home inviting me to be a part of their living.

That's amazing! Seeing your original art work being on display by supporters is motivating, but I also wonder is there a particular project or piece of work that you are especially proud of? What makes it stand out for you?

There is a 48x60 piece that is comprised of blocks of pastel colors. I think its beautiful, calming and soothing. I have it for sale but I am not sure I can really part with it.

I heard about your art on TikTok and was amazed by your attitude in just deciding to host an art gallery at your home instead of the typical approach of pursuing a gallery. Why did you decide to do this and do you believe more artists will take this approach in the future?

As I said earlier, that was a risk and real leap of faith encouraged by my family. I love the informal community it has created. I like the idea of making original abstract art accessible to people—that they’re able to spend (which is still a lot of money for many) and are able to take something home that’s unique and that’s been created with intentionality and love. As long as people come, I’ll keep doing these driveway art gallery sales.

I’m not sure if other’s will. All I know is that it works for me. I still exhibit in shows where I have pieces with higher prices and will continue to do those too.

By materializing these private moments through objects, sound, or duration, I aim to create spaces where viewers can recognize their own experiences of loneliness, waiting, or quiet transformation.

The work functions as a kind of shared solitude, where individual introspection opens into collective recognition.

What advice would you give to an emerging artist that is trying to market themselves?

Know what your story is and tell it as genuinely as you can. And humor is important, not taking myself too seriously.

You've built a lovely following on social media talking about and displaying your original art work. How has social media helped expand the reach of your art?

It has been the key to the success to these Driveway Art Market sales. I was never on TikTok before last year and my informal polling at the two shows seems to indicate that about 90% of the people who come heard about it from TikTok. And, I couldn’t have had the reach on TikTok without my son-in-law who created the various postings. He’s done a great job of helping me tell my story and also poking fun at myself.

I am nervous though. My daughter and son-in-law are having a baby girl next month which is awesome! I get to become a grandfather! But that means I’m on my own in terms of doing the social media marketing. I am trying to teach myself Capcut to do video editing. It will be interesting to see if I can generate interest like we have the last two times.

Congrats to your daughter and son-in-law! I find Capcut to be not as intimidating as it seems, so I'll be rooting for you as learn it. Before I let you go, I'm curious what’s a song you’re currently listening to on repeat, and why?

My favorite music right now is by Florence and The Machine. She’s a great lyricist. She paints great pictures with her music. I love listening to her playlist while I paint. Songs of hers that I play over and over again are Delilah, Girls Against God, and Hunger.

I’m also a big Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young fan. She’s the One and I’m the Ocean are two great ones from them. Also John Coltrane’s Favorite Things. These are songs that take me deeper into myself in different ways.

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To learn more about Tom’s journey and his original art, be sure to connect with him (@tachabolla) and give his lovely website tomchabollaart.com a visit! Be on the lookout for his next projects and attend his next Driveway Art Gallery Sale on Saturday, May 2nd, if you're local!

*If you're an artist (of any discipline) interested in being featured in this spotlight series, please send an email to inquiries@leonella97.com.

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