Whether people know him as Thomas “TJ” Martone or by his artist name Thomas Edwardd, TJ’s mission is to bring positive energy and to heal to others through his unique artwork.

Though he’s painted since he was young child, TJ had never considered it as a viable career. He attended Florida Atlantic University from 2012 to 2014, studying nursing, and returned to Florida in 2016 with intentions to continue, but that’s when his friend asked him to go to L.A.

The trip out west included time in Venice Beach, a community known for its art and artists. Walking down the strip one day and seeing the artwork, TJ thought he could do something like that.

“I came up with this idea of painting with Himalayan salt, and I started just infusing all my paints with Himalayan salt and I loved how the next day it dried and crystalized,” TJ says, “I didn’t know that actually, from a spiritual standpoint, [the salt] represents purity, almost cleansing of the mind, body, and soul.”

By himself in Los Angeles with no resources, however, TJ opted to be a “big fish in a small pond” and came back to his hometown of East Haven. When he returned about eight months ago, he hit the ground running and started his own business.

Though art became a renewed focus, he didn’t abandon his healthcare roots. He came up with the idea of helping heal people through his art, with his paintings uniquely based on those who commission the works.

“So I call these energy paintings...They’re Himalayan salt crystal-infused paintings,” TJ says, noting that he also uses an element of each client, “and that would be their energy.”

He gave an example of a couple he worked with from Branford who were having trouble becoming fertile. He met them at the Branford Supply Pond, used Supply Pond water for his base (and which he says carried their energy), and incorporated a mineral called sodalite, which he says helps with fertility.

He says he’s on a mission— he wants to be an influencer for today’s culture and help society be more resilient. He doesn’t want his paintings to be materialistic; he wants them to be about affirmation.

“I’m all about affirmation, so what you put out is what you get back, and that’s how these paintings work,” TJ says.

TJ tries bring energy into people’s homes, offices, or therapy centers with his artwork. He says he’s done a lot of paintings as gifts, and that his art doesn’t have a price tag on it.

“I’ll do something for them if I feel compelled and feel that energy that they need me in their life, and vice-versa, like if I need them in my life,” TJ says, “I kind of just feel it out and whatever my inner light is telling me I just go with it.”

He’s not making art for himself, he says, but for the people with whom he works. One piece he’s working on is being done with the ashes of a woman’s son who took his life.

Through the painting, he feels that she’s healing him as much as he’s healing her. By painting with the ashes of her son, he’s reminded that you only have one shot at life, and “you’ve got to make it rip.”

All of his art is done with materials selected by whomever he’s working with, but he never plans a specific design before he begins a piece.

TJ says he’s able to feel people’s energy through their body language, how they act, and even on a soul-to-soul level. He says he can also feel the Zen and functionality of their home or office space, and wants the painting to mimic his client’s energy or bring the energy they want into their space.

“I’m here to remind someone…good people exist, and you are one of them,” TJ says, “That’s what more or less I stand for as an artist.”

Those interested in seeing TJ’s work can visit www.thomasedwardd.com.