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Tom Seagard's tribute to the Silent Service
January 15, 2004
by Steve Kastner
SISTER BAY, WI - Local
artist, Tom Seagard usually spends winters in warmer climates as evidenced by his art portfolio,
a mix of images from Door County, the Caribbean, Key West, and South America. After his 85-year-old mother, Lois
Seagard suffered an injury, he and his wife and fellow artist, Brigitte Kozma switched plans and decided to remain
in Sister Bay at their Mill
Road Gallery just a few doors away from Lois.
For the first time in years they welcome winter visitors to their gallery in Sister Bay. Tom is excited about another
recent break in tradition - one that has delighted the hearts of several thousand sailors who served aboard the
USS Archerfish from 1943 to 1968.
In September the ship's former crewmembers met in Indianapolis to celebrate
the 60th anniversary of the sub's keel-laying and the 35th anniversary of the end of service to her Country. And
they toasted Seagard, whose artistic efforts now honor those years of service in a commemorative painting of the
Archerfish.
In April of 2003 George Hughes, a former crewmember from Baileys Harbor told Tom about the upcoming reunion and
eventually managed to talk him into breaking tradition, to paint a metal fish instead of the typical wildlife subjects
Seagard is known for.
"I worked on the original painting for five and a half months. And I completely lost it three times,"
Tom explains.
He's not talking about an artistically-driven emotional crisis here. Instead, it's the method of his madness that
unintentionally causes him to completely destroy his work on occasion. Tom typically works up his base drawings
in colored pencil then attempts to place the subjects in a mixed-media environment using spray enamels. It's a
risky procedure with no way to return to the original state if the process fails to do what Tom is expecting.
In the case of the Archerfish he lost the original drawing three times
and had to start over. On the fourth attempt everything clicked…
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"I finished it about a day before George left with it for the reunion
in September, 2003," says Seagard. |
Now the original painting is available from the USS Archerfish crew in a limited, numbered, giclee print edition
of 500, each signed by the artist for $225. The image size is 15" x 38 1/4" horizontal, ready for framing.
Seagard and the crew are donating the profits from the sale to save another sub, the USS Razorback. You can learn
more about the artwork on-line, and order a print by e-mailing
or writing to George Hughes, 9589 North Bay Drive, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202.
Archerfish Story:
The USS Archerfish (SS-311) was launched and christened on May 28, 1943.
The Archerfish joined the war against Japan in September of that year. On her fifth patrol she crossed paths with
the 72,000 ton IJN aircraft carrier Shinano, and placed six torpedoes into her hull sending Shinano to the bottom,
the largest ship ever sunk by a submarine. She was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for this feat and later
was selected as one of twelve American submarines to participate in the invasion force that entered Tokyo Bay to
witness the formal surrender of Japan at the close of WWII.
Further information about Archerfish and her crews may be
found at www.ussarcherfish.com.
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