Donald Roy Thompson Transitions September 2 - October 4, 2022
Donald Thompson’s exhibitions have been reviewed by Thomas Albright of the San Francisco Chronicle Sept. 28, 1967; Henry Hopkins, The Tampa Tribune, April, 16, 1968; Mark Levy, Artweek, December 18, 1982; Suer, ArtSpeak, June 23, 1983, New York, N.Y.
During an impoverished time in his early art career he was unable to afford good quality paint, so instead of hand dyed cheesecloth for a large installation at the Cabrillo College Gallery. It helped form the basis transparency that he later produced in his acrylic color field paintings of 1971-75.
classmates were Fritz Scholder and Merrill Mahaffey, both successful artists in Santa Fe.
From 1964-2000 Donald was an art instructor at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. Before he settled Donald traveled and lived in Mexico City, where he was able to observe closely the murals of Diego Rivera. Like so many color field painters of his generation, Thompson was influenced by Johannes Itten and Josef as by Matisse and Mondrian.
In 2013 Thompson settled in Santa Fe. There he began his current series of work, rekindling an aesthetic cades previous. He continues to refine his approach and vision.
“I am habitually focused on the relationship of colors!” he wrote in July of 2022. “I’ve tried, in my paintings recent past, to experiment with various forms of pictorial composition - both symmetrical and asymmetrical. My current challenge is combining the geometric with curvilinear form in an effort to achieve an integrated the two, as they are experienced in hard-edge color painting. “
Thompson has exhibited solo and group shows both nationally and internationally. These include solo Evans/Willis Gallery, Foster Goldstrom, and Galeria Carl Van der Voort in San Francisco, and Ibiza, Spain. shows at Frederick Spratt Gallery in San Jose, California, as well as Shasta College Gallery in Redding, Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. His group shows include Leila Taghinia-Milani, New York City, Switzerland and the Second British International Print Biennale, Yorkshire, England.
Donald Roy Thompson was born in 1936, in Fowler, California. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees mento State University in 1960 and 1962, respectively. His most notable art instructor was Wayne Thiebaud.
In 1972 Donald began again to use opaque colors on various sizes of canvas, focusing on the illusion of By 1974 he began to feel the need for greater physicality and began to employ the use of stretched canvases color bolted together, from large to huge (7.5’ X 10’), now in the Oakland Museum.
Thompson’s paintings are found in major collections including The Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA.; Seattle tional Bank (Seafirst), Seattle, WA; Crocker Museum, Sacramento, CA, Art Museum of Santa Cruz County, CA.
degrees from Sacra Thiebaud. Among his down to teach, Rivera. Albers, as well instead he used layers basis of the ideas aestheticasestransparency.ofofasinglefromfourdepaintings during the asymmetrical. integrated synthesis of shows at Larry Spain. He had solo California and Basel Art Fair, Seattle First Na County, Santa Cruz, Chronicle, July 28, 1964, 1982; Claude Le
Quarry II Acrylic2019 on canvas 42 x 35 inches
The Embrace Acrylic2022 on canvas 42 x 30 inches
Buster Acrylic2022 on canvas 35 x 25 inches
Gig II Acrylic2019 on canvas 24 x 20 inches
Downshift Acrylic2022 on canvas 35 x 25 inches
Footlights II 2018 Acrylic on canvas with aluminum strips 42 x 35 inches
Escorts Acrylic2022 on canvas 35 x 25 inches
Sungate Acrylic2019 on canvas 56 x 40 inches
Corot Acrylic2022 on canvas 42 x30 inches
2 Acrylic2021 on paper 16 x 12 inches 21 x 17 inches framed
“I somethingtical,find some 60s... Curve I’m forms. We to re-harvest sonally Donald Roy Thompson surveys his works, August 2017
find when I dwell on pure geometry - the vertical, the horizontal - eventually, I want to throw something else in the mix. So I’m bringing back some curvilinear elements from my work in the 60s... I had discovered this tool called the Flex Curve and was blown away by the possiblities. I’m exploring synthesis, integration of these two forms. We have to depend on what we’ve actually done, re-harvest - because that becomes more personally who we are.”
Flakes Acrylic2020 on paper 16 x 12 inches 21 x 17 inches framed
Skor Acrylic2020 on canvas 56 x 40 inches
Wam Acrylic2022 on canvas 49 x 35 inches
Stays Acrylic2021 on paper 16 x 12 inches 21 x 17 inches framed
Sea Cave Acrylic2022 on canvas 56 x 40 inches
Gainsborough Acrylic2022 on canvas 42 x 30 inches
Cervantes Acrylic2021 on paper 16 x 12 inches 21 x 17 inches framed
Dauphin Acrylic2019 on canvas 35 x 25 inches
“Artists have kind of a different take on age. And when we say “transitions” - I’m still growing. I haven’t settled on anything.”
Putting the finishing touches on one of his works, March 11, 2019
Crossing 2022 Acrylic on canvas 56 x 80 inches
Burnside Acrylic2022 on canvas 42 x 30 inches
Relish Acrylic2022 on canvas 49 x 35 inches
Prometheus Acrylic2019 on canvas 35 x 25 inches
3 Friends Acrylic2022 on canvas 35 x 25 inches
Pi Acrylic2021 on paper 16 x 12 inches 21 x 17 inches framed
