Thomas Karl is widely acclaimed for his plein air compositions of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, The Grand Tetons of Wyoming and Wasatch Mountains near his Utah home, Karl Thomas of Provo, Utah, acknowledges the influences of Inness, Sargent, Bierstadt and Moran on what he describes as his own style of "realistic impressionism.

Thomas creates scenes that are both exciting and fresh, as they often capture the first impression of what the artist has seen. It’s easy to see when viewing a Karl Thomas painting that he has been magnetized by his subject. His paintings have a special quality that portray the crispness of the air and the movement of the sun in a landscape.