Acknowledged globally as a master artist of visual story telling, Tom Mielko is best known for his finely honed ability to communicate with the viewer in a personal, intimate way. His passion for living and love for his craft radiate from every brushstroke of his work.

Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Tom was gifted with a natural talent for art. He drew his first sketches at the age of six and encouraged by his parents, went on to study at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School and the prestigious Art Institute of Boston, where he eventually taught. Even at a young age, Tom had a unique eye for bringing out subtlety as he captured a moment or the poetry in a play of light.

Committed to making painting his full time livelihood, Mielko forged ahead with his own gallery in 1970. Through his friend and patron Anthony Athanas, Tom established the Sextant Gallery within Athanas’s renowned restaurant in Boston Harbor.

During visits with his former teacher and mentor, Phil Hicken on Nantucket Island, Tom enjoyed painting the serene beaches, grassy dunes, rose drenched gardens, and cranberry bogs. He soon felt the need to seek a refuge from the urban life of Boston and retreat permanetly to the unspoiled island.

Once settled on Nantucket, Mielko went to work for The Chelko Gallery where he and owner, Paul Chelko, became fast friends and business partners. One year later the gallery’s name was changed to The Chelko-Mielko Gallery. When Chelko made a move to Atlanta to pursue abstract art, Tom stayed on in Nantucket. He established The Mielko Gallery, in a unique, Nantucket shanty, where fishermen once stored their nets. Mielko’s highly successful gallery continued for 35 years and became a historic Nantucket landmark, the oldest gallery on South Wharf.Mielko’s quintessential Nantucket beach scenes established his signature style, very quickly winning the artist awards and collectors from every part of the world. His more prominent collectors include publisher and art collector, Malcolm Forbes; Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton; actress Jane Seymour, singer songwriter, Donna Summer and former General Electric CEO, Jack Welch. His work has been included in the collections of the Smithsonian and the Santa Barbara Historical Museums.