Thomas Stiltz was born in Newark, Delaware in 1948. His artistic talent became evident very early in his life. As early as the age of 5, Thomas was drawing cartoon characters. When he was 12 years old, he was chosen to attend special art classes at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, Delaware. He was instructed in painting and drawing and exposed to the Museum's collection.

By the time Thomas was in high school, he had sold his first painting. In 1965, he attended the University of Delaware, majoring in Art. There he discovered photography, ceramics and steel sculpture. He started to work big, creating large photography murals in black and white. Since mural paper at that time was dull and difficult to work with, he began to experiment with applying photographic emulsion to different surfaces, such as frosted glass, mirror and formica. This experimentation led to a grant to attend graduate school at the University of Delaware.

Thomas Stiltz has worked for most of his professional life as an art director, photographer and painter. His understanding of photography brings sensitivity to light and form. His strong perception of composition and picture space, combined with a flair for the dramatic, naturally lead him to produce striking paintings.

Thomas Stiltz, his wife, Sheri, and daughters, Jenny and Julie, live outside Baltimore, Maryland.