Thad Markham: The Playful Visionary
Designer Thad Markham brings a whimsical twist to art, imagining the secret lives of fruits and vegetables with a creative spark that began with dancing bananas.
From Mountains to Engineering
A California native, Thad Markham was born and raised in the mountains of Southern California. His youth was filled with competitive skiing every winter and racing around Big Bear Lake on jet skis and water skis all summer. He later pursued an engineering degree at UCSB in Santa Barbara.
After a brief stint working in his field, Thad craved more excitement and struck out as an entrepreneur. In 1992, he moved to Cambria, California, where years of hard work and long hours turned his business into a roaring success.
The Birth of a Creative Obsession
With his business thriving, Thad’s ever-active mind sought new challenges. It all started with the bananas.
One bright sunny morning, while sitting at breakfast, his glance fell on a bunch of bananas on the table. "That's funny," he said to himself, "it almost looks like they're dancing."
What do the fruits and vegetables do at night when no one is watching?
Thus began his fascination with the secret lives of produce. Thad started haunting the grocery store’s produce department, his mind captivated by a single, burning question that would inspire his unique artistic journey.