biography

Thomas was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She began her life's work in painting during her teenage years, then moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan where she worked her way though college studying painting and philosophy. After a brief stay in Boston teaching in public schools she went on to Indiana University to study in art history and figurative painting.
When she came to the realization that neither university life nor figurative painting was where her heart lay, she left it all behind to move to the city of bright lights.  Setting up a studio on Great Jones Street, Manhattan, Thomas began her work in abstract painting, with a drive to pick up color where Hans Hoffman and Henri Matisse left off. A few years later she moved to her present Broome Street studio where she was able to increase the scale of her work.. In the past twenty-five years she has created at least 8 separate series representing the restless exploration of a singular, vivid vision of color and form.

When did you stop using the traditional way of painting with brushes and start applying the paint with your hand and a cloth? “About 10 years ago. Applying paint with a cloth gives a broad reflective surface. It is a highly tactile way to paint which creates immediacy in the gesture.”    What is the difference between your paintings and your pastels?  “Saturation of color. A pastel is a drawing stick, with the highest concentration of pigment on the grain of the paper, which reflects a deep flat light.”   Color is clearly a language you know well. What influences your choice of color? ”Intensity, light, and the edge that each color has in relationship to the colors around it.”   Line and form interact in your paintings. What is the role that they each play? ”A composer uses notes; I use line and form to see silent rhythm and harmony between the two.”   What did you have in mind when you designed the fountain? “The fountain is a moving steel sculpture. It is a way to give visitors to a park water and form in motion.”