JEREMY THOMAS: CANVAS July 22 - August 8, 2022
Jeremy Thomas
A gentle sloping curve. A twist. A shadowed dimple, a ripple. An arc like a fin. Orangered that passes through all the stages into red-violet. Pale blue frosted with yellow. Glowing yellow morphing into green. Around the gallery arranged on shelves, on walls, these forms are arrayed. Strange underwater creatures, microscopic life, alien animals. Some are striped, some shine with glossy resin, others coated in richest eye-catching color. Some even glow in the dark … These forms work a bit like a 3D Rorschach test. They are not what you think they are – but at the same time they are exactly what you imagine. What you see may say as much about you – about how your own mind interacts with these remarkable colored forms -- than it necessarily does about what they are. One thing is clear though – these strange and thought-provoking objects could only have come from the mind and hands of Jeremy Thomas. Yet even that may be confusing to anyone who has followed Thomas’ work over the years – tracking the many elaborations and changes of Thomas’ inflated steel works. Because these pieces are made from canvas. Thomas has never been the sort to rest on his laurels. His steel works have continued to evolve over the years – his endless curiosity about the world around him always influencing, in large and small ways, the forms, colors, materials, and questions that Thomas asks as he creates. When he started to question the ecological impact of his forged steel pieces, he developed a whole new process to cold-inflate his steel
– and out of that change began a whole new set of questions, and a whole new range of forms. Thomas had already begun to suspect that his real medium was not steel, but air when he explored the idea in two very distinctive series of works, his Air Paintings and Wind Drawings. However, it is with this new series of canvas inflated works, that this realization seems to have settled and taken root. At the beginning of the pandemic, with the world feeling full of darkness, Thomas began to experiment with canvas – liking, again, that it had a lighter ecological footprint – and adapting forms from lantern patterns to quite literally try to create some light in a dark time. Enjoying the material, Thomas went on to explore further with heavyweight hemp fabric and then organic cotton canvas. He developed a unique process to coat the canvas in an ecologically responsible resin, then inflate his fabric forms while wet, allowing him to gently manipulate them before they are cured to a hard and shining state. Color can be applied both within the resin itself, or afterward on the hard surface. So much remains in these canvas objects (including the wall-mounting pieces which he has taken to calling “Wall Pillows”) of Thomas’ signature process. Both use and capture that mysterious and chaotic essence of air – it’s ability to create volume, it’s something-from-seeming-nothing to enliven and grow Thomas’ strange and complicated forms. Thomas has even said that sewing the canvas reminds him very
much of TIG welding, “TIG welding is dab after dab—you have to be right there, present. When you’re sewing, it’s the same. Every stitch—you have to be present for each one. Right. There.” And the finished pieces (steel or canvas) are records of a process, of the action of air moving, bumping, twisting material, opening forms – much the way air expands and unfurls the alveoli of the lungs. However, canvas pieces do strike off in new dimensions. Even though they are hardcured, the canvas pieces feel different, softer, more accessible. As Thomas recognizes – each material brings its own freight of associations – and while steel has its hard and unapproachable aspects, canvas and fabric bring with them a very long and quite intimate association with humans and the human body. Add to that that canvas is pliable enough that its whorls, dimples, and puckers can be more pronounced, more wrinkly, and yet softer, and these objects feel particularly aligned to the organic and animal. This shift is reflected as well in his color palate. While in the past his colors have often come from industry or advertising, these colors come from more intimate or natural sources: sky, sunset, plants, animals, some even taking on the glowing phosphorescence found in deep sea creatures or insects. Equal parts joyful and thoughtful, Canvas brings us a whole new world to explore, with pieces that challenge our preconceived ideas of what canvas can do and be. -Michaela Kahn, Ph.D.
Enter Being, 5-2022, hemp, resin, vinyl emulsion, 19 x 21 x 12 inches
In a Bloom, 7-2022, hemp, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 19.5 x 18.25 x 11 inches
Photo Shopped, 2022, hemp, vinyl emulsion, and resin, 16 x 16 x 11 inches
Hand Bag Horn, 6-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, 8.5 x 20.25 x 12 inches
Purple Orange, 3-2022, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion and resin, 7.25 x 9 x 8.75 inches
Snow Storm, 2-2022, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion and resin, 8.5 x 14 x 10 inches
Leaf Letus, 2-2022, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion and resin, 9 x 11 x 11 inches
Spectral Star, 7-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 12.5 x 11.5 x 12.75 inches
Like a Boarder on the Sun, 6-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 8.25 x 14.5 x 8.25 inches
One of Many Tails, 6-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 7.75 x 15.5 x 12.75 inches
Speak Easy, 7-2022, hemp, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 21.25 x 24 x 9.5 inches
Handbag Horns, 6-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 13 x 13.5 x 9.5 inches
Blue White, 2-2022, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion and resin, 8 x 14 x 10 inches
Yellow With Lines, 2-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, 11 x 17.5 x 12 inches
Pink Beast LID, 2021, hemp, epoxy resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 15 x 11 x 10 inches When the Sun Goes Down, 3-2022, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion, and resin, 10 x 12.5 x 8 inches Yellow Orange LID, 11-2021, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion and resin, 12 x 9 x 10 inches Violet Orange, 2-2022, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion and resin, 10 x 16 x 9.5 inches
Only From the Mud, 7-2022, hemp, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 27 x 23.75 x 13.5 inches
Tweedledee or Tweedledum, 7-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, 14.25 x 14.5 x 20.25 inches
In the Distant Storm, 7-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 11 x 15 x 11.25 inches
Three Little Birds, 12-2021, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion and resin, 8.75 x 16.5 x 9.5 inches Red LID, 11-2021, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion and resin, 11 x 20 x 10 inches Yellow Blue Amanda, 3-2022, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion, and resin, 9.5 x 20.5 x 10.25 inches To Control a Burn, 2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 9.5 x 15 x 8 inches
Handbag Purple, 6-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, 13.5 x 15.75 x 10.5 inches
Can You Hear the Children, 6-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, 9 x 11.5 x 8.25 inches
Yellow Orange (Under My Skin), 2-2022, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion, and resin, 10 x 16 x 10 inches
Blue Black, 2-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, 9.5 x 18 x 9.5 inches
Between Summer and Spring (LID), 6-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 12 x 12 x 11 inches
Talking Points, 6-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 11 x 12.25 x 12 inches
Yellow Wrinkles, 2-2022, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion, and resin, 11 x 16 x 9 inches
Jersey Yellow, 2022, hemp, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 27.5 x 24 x 13 inches
Wheel in the Sky, 7-2022, hemp, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 21.25 x 24 x 9.5 inches
Any Given Wednesday, 5-2022, cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 8 x 15 x 15 inches
Winged Nike of Espa, 7-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, 18.75 x 11.5 x 9 inches The Blackest of Blacks LID, 3-2022, organic cotton, vinyl emulsion and resin, 11 x 12 x 9 inches Jersey Red, 6-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 7 x 16.75 x 10.75 inches At the Seams, 6-2022, organic cotton, resin, vinyl emulsion, pigment, 11 x 21.25 x 21.5 inches
The Hippos Campus, 8-2021, organic cotton, pigment and resin, 9.25 x 9.5 x 8 inches
Wicked, 8-2021, organic cotton, pigment and resin, 8.5 x 16 x 11.5 inches
Levin, 8-2021, organic cotton, pigment and resin, 12 x 11.75 x 6.5 inches
All table top sculptures are priced at $2,250 and all wall pieces are $4,500
Born: 1973 Education: 1992-1996 1996 1993 & 1994 1992 1991
Bachelor of Fine Arts, College of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM Internship, artist blacksmith Tom Joyce, Santa Fe, NM Internship, intaglio printmaking, painter/printmaker Jean Richardson, Oklahoma City, OK Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, with artist 2zDeloss McGraw Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, with artist Robert Z. Rahway
Residencies: 2018 Ucross Foundation, Ucross, WY Selected Solo Exhibitions: 2022 Canvas, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM Aromatic, Walking House Gallery New York, Seoul, Korea 2021 Aromatic, Walking House Gallery New York, Busan, Korea 2019 Airborne, Phoenix Airport Museum, Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, AZ Vital Expansions, Galerie Richard, New York, NY Unintended Consequences, Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM Structural Consciousness, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM Oscillations in Color and Sound, Galerie Renate Bender, Munich, DE 2018 Analoge, Galerie Richard, New York, NY Solo Booth, Volta NY, New York, NY 2017 Tanked, Galerie Richard, Paris, FR Nonfunctional Slack-Fill, Bentley Gallery Phoenix AZ Sensualminimalphysical. Galerie Renate Bender Munich, DE 2016 Grown Cold, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art Santa Fe, NM Tanked, Galerie Richard, New York, NY 2015 Bursting at the Seams, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ 2014 Ditching the Cardigan, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art Santa Fe, NM Highly Sensuous, Galerie Renate Bender Munich, DE 2013 Camber, Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ (untitled), Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA 2012 Dialogues in Steel, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art Santa Fe, NM 2009 Boll, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM Cotton Module, Samuel Freeman, Santa Monica, CA 2008 Implement, Jackson Fine Art and Charlotte Jackson Project Space Santa Fe, NM 2007 (untitled), Patricia Faure Gallery, Santa Monica, Ca 2006 Inflatables, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM 1996 Element and Image, Two Thesis Exhibitions College of Santa Fe, Fine Arts Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Selected Group Exhibitions: 2021 Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM 2020 Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM Galerie Richard, Paris, FR 2019 Embodying Colour V, Museum Wilhelm Morgner, Soest, DE Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
Galerie Richard, New York, NY Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ Embodying Colour: Enchantillons, Imprints Galeries, Creast, FR 2018 Light & Space in the Southwest, Galerie Richard, New York, NY Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM Analoge, Galerie Richard, Paris, FR Ecken und Kanten – Edges and Ridges, Galerie Renate Bender, Munich, Germany 2017 Heavy Metal: Pard Morrison, Elliot Norquist & Jeremy Thomas, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, NM The Wild West, Galerie Richard, New York, NY 2016 Art for Art’s Sake, Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum Oxnard, CA Off The Wall, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ 50 Shades of Red, Galerie Renate Bender, Munich, Germany Pink Crush, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe NM Zwei Freunde aus Deutschland, Schauraum Multipleart Zurich, Switzerland 2015 Back to Basics: Selections from the Fredrick Wiesman Art Foundation, Fredrick R. Wiesman Museum of Art, Malibu, CA Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ Embodying Colour, Künstlerhaus Metternich, Koblenz Germany 2014 Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe NM Galerie Renate Bender, Munich, Germany Embodying Colour, Vasarely Muzeum, Budapest, Hungery Bentley Gallery Phoenix, AZ Faszination Farbe, Kunsthaus Furstenfeldbruck, Furstenfeldbruck, Germany Wiendersehen Wiesbaden, Schauraum Multiple Art, Zurich, Switzerland Art for Art’s Sake, Marjorie Barrick Museum, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 2013 Rouge, Chery Hazan Contemporary New York, NY Art for Art’s Sake, Fredrick R. Wiesman Museum of Art, Malibu, CA Embodying Colour, Kusthalle Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, DE The Nature of Abstraction, Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA Learning to See: Josef Albers and the Interaction of Color, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM Faszination der Farbe, Davis Klemm Gallery, Wiesbaden, Germany Selected Collections: Albright-Knox Gallery Buffalo, New York Fidelity Investments Boston, MA Fredrick R. Wiesman Art Foundation Malibu, CA J Crew, London, UK Kunstsammlung F. Hoffman-LaRoche AG, Basel, Switzerland New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM Quartz Mountain Arts and Conference Center Lone Wolf, OK (destroyed by fire) Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art Scottsdale, AZ Trammell Crow Center, Dallas TX University of Arkansas Fort Smith, Fort Smith, AK W. C Bradley Corporation, Mathew D Swift Park, Columbus, GA
CHARLOTTE JACKSON FINE ART Celebrating 32 years
554 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 | Tel 505.989.8688 | www.charlottejackson.com ©Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Inc.