Born in Armagh Ireland, Thompson studied Fine Art privately under Amanda Traversari in Belfast and has been painting for over 35 years. Thompson paints in the Classic / Impressionist style, sketches and watercolours in the field, larger works in the studio using oils.

A prolific artist, Thompson produces exhibition numbers of a given subject. Thompson paints the land and sky in Ireland, Canada, America and Europe, enjoying the Great Salon style of exhibition.

A member of The Arts and Letters Club, Toronto, The Royal Dublin Society, Dublin Ireland; he is also an adjunct Professor at The School of Architecture, University of Waterloo, where he teaches classes on Drawing for the architectural student. Thompson is President of Cambridge Towel, a design and colour driven home furnishings company operating in Canada and around the world.

 Thompson exhibits at The Oriel gallery, Dublin Ireland and The Libby Gallery, Toronto.  Thompson also exhibits recent works once a year at a local venue. Thompson lives in Cambridge where, along with Deirdre and Jason Thompson, they own and operate Thompson Centre for Art and Design.