ARTIST STATEMENT

I keep painting because I follow its calling. It is one of the best ways I believe I am capable of helping to mitigate the cruelty and darkness in the world around us. Through art, I can attempt to bring the beauty that surrounds us to light. My work is to look for it.

I believe that art, at its core, is service. Even if it is just one person the work affects and nurtures on a deep emotional level, that is enough.

I study a flower whose story wants to be told. I probe a color’s emotionality. I seek to pay homage to the vanishing art of handwriting, line as an exploration of word and word as an exploration of line.

My process is driven primarily by intuition and chance. When I am in my studio, I strive to be a channel for the creative spirit. I never know how a series will unfold. Often, though, it begins with picking up a bottle of ink or a pencil, studying shadows or water or a flower, and just making the first mark.

What is next, I do not know, but it is my responsibility to remain curious and agile.

- Eliza Thomas