John Thomas Hastings, also known as RUMTUM, is an interdisciplinary artist based between Cleveland, Ohio, and Denver, Colorado. Raised along the shores of Lake Erie, Hastings developed an early sensitivity to aquatic ecosystems and natural landscapes, subjects that continue to shape the visual and conceptual language of his practice.

Hastings earned a BFA from the Columbus College of Art & Design and later lived and worked in the Pacific Northwest before settling in Denver. Across these environments, shifting relationships between land, water, architecture, and human intervention became central to his work.

His practice moves between painting, public art, installation, and sound, drawing from ecology, mapping, geology, and built environments. Organic forms intersect with geometric structures, layered surfaces, and precise linework to create compositions that oscillate between abstraction and landscape. These works often evoke natural systems, mineral formations, topographies, and imagined terrains.

At the core of Hastings’ work is an ongoing investigation into environmental continuity, human presence, and perception. Through accumulation, fragmentation, and fluid movement, he constructs spaces that invite sustained looking and a reconsideration of our relationship to the natural world.

Artist MGMT: Ethan@rosegardenartists.com