Cherry Jubilee, 2023
Through my practice, I chronicle the lived and imagined experiences of and between human beings. I believe painting can be a tool in considering the emotional, psychological complexity of an individual's story and identity. Creating imagery that connects one to the realm of another, I alter perception and invoke empathy towards my subjects, depicting their reality across a visceral lens. Focusing on portraiture and figuration, my subjects include family, friends, and cultural figures placed in constructed settings. I render my subjects in oil paint, incorporating mixed media, collage, and handmade paper to build the abstracted environments in which they exist.
More than just portraits of distinct individuals, the works are also layered with symbolic associations through letters and numbers, suggesting the many facets of an individual’s identity. Thompson’s process contributes to this effect. They begin with an abstracted background, over which they layer elements of paper, fabric, and paint, moving at last towards vividly realized representational forms.
More than just portraits of distinct individuals, the works are also layered with symbolic associations through letters and numbers, suggesting the many facets of an individual’s identity. Thompson’s process contributes to this effect. They begin with an abstracted background, over which they layer elements of paper, fabric, and paint, moving at last towards vividly realized representational forms.