Hello everybody,

My profession: Main: Photographer, Photo manipulator, & Photo Lab Tech.. Other: Digital Editor(indie films, short films, etc...)

A little background about my main interest & how it came to be:

My name is Thomas and I was first introduced to magic by my father at the early age of four or five years old. It was a simple, but incredible illusion called "Ball & Vase" (which I'm sure you're all familiar with). However, it was this small plastic "Ball & Vase" that filled a young version of myself with wonder plus amazement, and little did I know was actually the prelude to me eventually performing magic down the road in my later years...

My father never told me how it's done and instilled in me the importance that a magician never reveals his/her secrets.
(Of course I know now...)

When I was about five years old my mother, father, and I moved to Montréal, QC Canada. Unfortunately my father died just around the time that I turned seven years old. My father, Herbert Rutherford, was a reporter in the early part of his life and at this point had taken a job as an editor for a book company. However on the side he was an actor, singer, director of community plays/musicals, musician (jazz, big band, etc...) he played the clarinet and saxophone, and of course dabbled in performing magic.

After my father had died, my mom (God bless her heart) wanted to do her best to please me as best she could by reintroducing me to the many hobbies of my father that she thought I would really enjoy. Now this point, like I said above, I was around 7 to 8 years old and one of the first things she did was pull out telephone book and search for the nearest magic shop in Montréal. So one day my mom took me to the shop (which unfortunately does not exist anymore) and the man who owned the magic shop was one of the nicest man I have ever met. (I wish I could remember his name...) anyway, as soon as we entered the magic shop, the man greeted us with a great big smile, shook my hand, and asked me if I'd like to see something really amazing! I of course said "sure!". The owner of the magic shop then pulled the silk out from his pocket, showed it to me in a graceful manner and said "now watch closely" and then suddenly POOF! the silk turned into Cane!! Well that was it, I was hooked!

From the ages of seven or eight until 15 years old I dabbled mostly with pushbutton styles of magic illusions. It was really only in my late teens that I started getting into performing magic more seriously. I started to study books, talk to other magicians, and gather as much information as I possibly could on everything from sleight-of-hand to stage magic.

it's been about 10 years since I performed magic on a regular basis, but prior to that, I used to perform everything from close up, children's birthday parties, busking, bars, and full-fledged stage shows. No I didn't rub elbows with David Copperfield or anything like that ), however I did consider myself to be a semipro Magician between the ages of 15-30. I even had an hour long stage show that I designed & performed for youth groups, in hospitals, old age homes, church basements, & the like. which included doves, disappearing effects, Levitation's, escapes, etc... and even a Zig-Zag box for the climax of the act.(Which believe it or not, I bout for 15$ at the age of 15 in a church basement auction!) Sometimes I performed for money, but mostly for charity... Other then that my main profession is photography & filmography/Digital Editing...

Anyway, I've started getting back into performing magic (I'm a little rusty obviously, however it's sort of like riding a bike. i.e.: it's all coming back to me pretty quickly) I've even started working on some new routines/illusions and new ways of performing them, be the old illusions or ones of my own.

So that is pretty much it, as far as my background concerning the dealings of performing magic goes...

Peace...

- Thomas

P.S.: I’m now into everything from Close-Up to Stage. Cards, to everyday objects, & always have had a true passion to entertain, amaze, & bring a smile of wonder to people.

My Favorite Magicians who have inspired me over the years (Not in any particular order):

Eugene Burger
David Acer
Jay Sankey
Harry Houdini (go figure ;-)
Ching Ling Foo
Penn & Teller
Harry Anderson
David Regal
David Roth
David Blaine
Wayne Houchin
& many more... But to little time, to many greats!

P.S., P.S.: I hope to have several magical performance videos up of some of the original Illusions I'm working on + some videos of classical magical Illusions with my own personal spin on them by late Aug. latest... I also hope to have some Short-documentaries, films, etc... by mid to late winter, but hopefully before 2011...