Photo by Rhonda Thom courtesy Faux Picasso Photography

By Fran Lyons

Rhonda Thom

Faux Picasso Photography has been eight years in the making.

Owner Rhonda Thom said circumstances, opportunity and, of course, “taking a huge leap of faith” presented themselves, and the passion that fuels such dreams became a force for the reality.

“I asked myself, ‘What do you really want to do?’ The answer was stop working for someone else, create your own plan, put the pieces together and watch the progression,” she said. “My parents modeled success for me by starting their own businesses with confidence.”

That “someone else” was PayPal, where she led a risk management team, so it was a huge decision to leave the corporate world and go out on her own in a completely different field.

The photography business calls on her education and experience in art, film and digital media. Faux Picasso has an onsite dark room and photo lab, and the business uses multiple artistic applications and techniques for full-spectrum photo enhancement.

She also does photo restorations.

Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Thom has lived in Maricopa four years with her husband Robert and four children.

She began developing a business plan for Faux Picasso in February, and had it up and running in March.

It’s not just about wedding photography. For entertainment, Thom offers painting parties; and for the connoisseur, she has fine-art photography prints.

“I was mentored well,” Thom said of her parents, whose business advice she still incorporates.

Photo by Rhonda Thom

Rhonda Thom
Business: Faux Picasso Photography
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Family: Husband Robert, one son, three daughters
Nature of business: Primarily engagement and wedding photography
Why this business? After being a team leader in risk management at PayPal for 13 years, I decided to do what I love to do, my art and photography.
Why Maricopa? Like Omaha, Maricopa is just the right size. Almost everything is within a 20-mile radius.
The small-town feel and close community atmosphere really feel like home – a great place to raise kids.
Residence: Cobblestone Farms
Expectations for the business in the next 5 years: Expanding the mobile aspect of the business, which covers the entire state of Arizona, evolving business strategies and marketing tools and building up portfolio. Introduce a video product early next year. Branching out to reach a larger, multi-generational audience. On the horizon this fall: Faux Picasso will present two solo art shows in Maricopa.
Greatest challenge:­ Getting the word out and gaining strong momentum for scheduled engagements
Best business advice ever received: “My mom once told me, focus on just one thing at a time.”


This story appears in the October issue of InMaricopa.