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In the summer of 1969, north of
San Francisco California, Tim Cantor opened his eyes to a world that allowed
his artistic expression to flourish. His Mother, a musician, and Father, a
technical engineer, both understood that this gentle child was different
from others. Tim did not want to play as often as other children did, and
rarely did he speak. Instead, the three-year-old sat down with a note pad
and pencil, immersed in depicting the images that poured from his
imagination. This was the way Tim found to express himself, through his art.
Before long, Tim’s art became a consuming passion to which he devoted every
spare moment. Sheltered in his room, he created a sea of images after
everyone else had gone to sleep. For someone so young, Tim’s drawings
revealed an unusual sophistication that made them distinct. Regardless of
what the subject may have been, a tree, person, or scribble, his drawings
were given life through the use of light and shadow. This technique, which
many well-known artists labor all their lives to master, was a natural
perception for this child. Even now, Tim continues using the imagined light
source of his childhood drawings to illuminate the subjects within his
paintings.
There were those who speculated that the tremendous ability Tim Cantor
displayed at such an early age was a gift, while others said that his talent
was inherited solely from family lineage. But the early genius displayed was
even more than the product of natural gifts and family heritage, it was an
overpowering, compulsive desire to create. His parents, understanding their
child’s introspective nature, nurtured this trait. Tim’s father,
acknowledging that his son’s fascination with drawing had grown into an
obsession, thoughtfully gave him a box filled with oil paints and brushes.
This box, however, was not an ordinary box of art supplies. It was a magic
box complete with the oils and brushes that Tim’s great grandfather had used
to paint throughout the world. It was a difficult decision, to entrust a
five-year-old boy with something that had been lovingly preserved for nearly
a century. But this magical box, and the supplies waiting inside, would not
be wasted; they would be used to add mystical dimension to the child’s art.
Tim Cantor’s great grandfather, an Englishman named Lloyd Whiffen, was a
distinguished artist in his own right. Although Lloyd died long before Tim
was born, he played a profound role in the young artist’s life. Surrounded
by his great grandfather’s oil paintings, Tim grew to know him through his
artwork. The walls of Tim’s childhood home were filled with the canvases
created by Lloyd Whiffen. Aged compositions of colorful landscapes and
cultural settings of India, where Whiffen lived most of his life, all served
to incite Tim Cantor’s youthful mind. Mysterious images of shrouded figures,
masked faces, ancient architecture, and consecrated shrines affected the
child and carried on to inspire the artist. Authentic tales of safari
complete with elephants and tigers, filled the child’s dreams with
adventure, and today, continue to influence Tim’s work.
Tim wasted no time in opening the wooden box his father passed down to him,
implicitly understanding the value these historical tools would add to his
drawings. No longer restricted to creating images with just pencils,
crayons, and finger-paint, he could now add oil paint and brushes to his
list of materials. The first painting Tim Cantor created with his great
grandfather’s art supplies was a tumultuous seascape. Though he had many
colors to choose from Tim used only muted blues and grays to portray a dark
and moody sea. While the seascape appears simplistic when compared to his
current paintings, it was quite advanced for a child in kindergarten who had
never before used oils. The prodigious painting established a unique
approach that contrasted light and dark elements within the same
composition—a contrast that endures throughout the artist’s life and work.
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