Thomas’ recent color work uses fabric, drawing fragments, scraps of paper and torn photographs to make pigment prints on canvas, recycling "out-takes" from previous collage work, to be revisited in a "virtual" context. Untitled (Dream ll - Mirror) relegates its scraps of fabric to the side and presents an empty space of color. Here the nature of the work becomes cyclical, a repetition of the same thoughts in a different perspective. Thomas’ new series of prints relate to her signature works on canvas. These dynamic, masterful orchestrations of abstract forms and marks—drawn rectangles of solid color, silhouettes of cut bits of cloth, depictions of paint strokes or a wayward bit of newsprint—are realized by hands-on manipulation of printing plates.
Thomas' earlier black and white, photo emulsion on linen works began with collages of paper strips, corrugated plastic board and packing tape, which were then photographed and printed on photo-sensitive linen and stretched on canvas to become "paintings." By isolating grays and blacks, shadows and lights, textures and tones and going back to the very beginning of photography, the resulting play of pattern and space has a depth of field that is both described and denied.
Gwenn Thomas’ work is represented in major collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Chase Manhattan Bank; Progressive Art Collection; Saatchi Collection, London; Citigroup, New York; C.A.M. Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal; and São Schlumberger, Paris.
© Art Projects International
For the full Artist Biography, download the PDF below.
