In counting his blessings, Tom Hennessey will forever be thankful that his birth certificate bears the State of Maine seal. Accordingly, he grew up with a salmon river, the Penobscot, at his front door and game-abundant fields and woodlands at the back door, literally. Moreover, it was his good fortune to follow the tracks of sportsmen whose addictions to hunting, fishing and all the related activities - training dogs, tying flies, making decoys, to name a few - were as much passions as pastimes.

In his paintings the subjects nearest and dearest to Tom are the sporting traditions symbolic of New England and the eastern United States. His marine paintings reflect the magnificence of the Maine coast and the occupations of its fiercely independent fishermen.

In addition to painting, Tom wrote and illustrated outdoors columns and features for the Bangor Daily News. He is the author of two books: “Feathers ’n Fins”, published jointly by the National Sporting Fraternity and Bangor Publishing Co. (Bangor Daily News); and “Handy to Home”, published by Down East Books, Camden, Maine. His illustrations have appeared in major sporting magazines and books. He especially enjoyed illustrating Field & Stream magazine columns and books written by his longtime friend, the late Gene Hill.