Thomas Block had his first one-man show in a gallery while he was still in high school. He went on to become an award-winning art teacher, named Art Educator of the Year by the Maine Art Education Association. Upon retiring from teaching, he continued to work in a variety of media – oils, watercolors, pastels, pen and ink, charcoal, egg tempura, sculpture, and mixed media. Tom was also my art teacher in midcoast Maine. As a shy teen with no confidence whatsoever in my own artistic talent, he was a non-judgmental, quietly encouraging force in my world – as he was to so many others.

It had been a dream of mine to work with Tom on a children’s book for years. During a book festival in Boothbay, Maine, in which we were both featured in the summer of 2016, I approached him with an idea. He was immediately enthusiastic, and we parted ways with a loose plan in place. It took a few months for me to pull things together on my end, but in January of 2017 Tom began work illustrating Maya Picks a Puppy. He was prompt, professional, good humored… In other words, a dream to work with. Within a month, he had completed all eighteen illustrations and weighed in on the story, cover, and marketing.

In March, I got an email from Tom saying that they had found a mass in his lung.

Three months later, at the end of June, he passed away unexpectedly after what had been deemed a successful cancer treatment, leaving behind a legion of grieving former students and fellow artists. In the face of such tragedy, I find solace only in the fact that we were able to work together on this project before his passing. He truly was a remarkable spirit, and one who continues to leave a hole in the lives of those he touched.