Thomas’ Art Walks

When art speaks, you listen.

That has always been the conventional wisdom approach to the art of art-buying. Matthew Thomas‘ art not only speaks, but does so in English, French, Afrikaans, Braille, German, Italian, Sign, Bengali, Mandarin, Punjabi, Polish, Dutch, Greek, Creole, Swedish, Armenian and Spanish. All at once. Loudly. Creating pieces that can easily be interpreted, loved and appreciated by people from all walks of life, Thomas is a young, gifted man.

Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, he realized he was adept at creating works that spoke to other people and has translated that skill into a thriving career. Armed with a B.F.A. in Illustration and an M.F.A. in Digital Arts from The Maryland Institute, College of Art, Thomas has found himself recognized in the global art world. Working through many mediums, he has had his paintings, drawings and film exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Italy, Tokyo and the Sundance Film Festival.

His artwork, often expressing his political and societal views, has generated quite a few accolades, including grants of almost $50,000 for his films, being featured prominently in several group showings and finding himself the September 2009 cover story for the leading trade magazine for the art world, Art World News.

According to the press release sent out concerning his upcoming participation in the Harlem Art Walking Tour 2010, Matthew Tomas is:

Driven by his investigation of life as a battlefield of psychological and social campaigns, Matthew Thomas presents new minimalist works of art created through digital and traditional painting. These works investigate his own aging desires of greatness, question the influence of social symbols, and remap his journey onward. His opposing styles of figurative and minimalism embrace and reject the symbolic meaning of the black male figure in art history. His application of paint is spackled, layered, and muddled to question social space and belonging.

As someone who is not involved in the art world, but recognizes talent when he sees it, I have a great appreciation for Thomas’ work. It’s beautiful. It’s huge (most pieces are seriously oversize). It’s powerful. It’s worth your time. I have included a couple of images below for you to look over, but I suggest you take a trip to his website to learn more. I also suggest that you check out the Harlem Art Walking Tour, scheduled for the weekend of October 8 – 10, 2010.

Graven Image ©, 2010 (5 x 6 ft., Oil on Canvas)

 

Like It Ain't No Tomorrow ©, 2010 (Digital sketch)