Agam at upson market place
William Thomson
Artist (1931-2014)
Connecticut native William Thomson (b.1931) is a nationally acclaimed artist. He has been simultaneously called a realist, neo-impressionist, satirist and a painters’ painter. His prolific body of work is diverse in material; watercolor, acrylic, oil, encaustic, tempera and casein were all subject to his master stroke. His passion was to paint the human being, not the human figure, a subtle but important difference. By 1958 Thomson was winning awards, purchase prizes, and earning national recognition. Art critics wrote that he was in the tradition of Homer, Eakins and Wyeth. Several museums and universities have Thomson paintings in their collections including the New Britain Museum of American Art.
Thomson preferred life in the quiet of Winsted and daily painting to the business side of the art world. He found it essential to paint every day, even after a sight impairing stroke. For him inspiration did not precede the painting, rather “you paint and hope it comes”. And it did- he filled every inch of the Winsted studio with his work! His door was always open to mentor a young art student or talk “shop” with local artists. Thomson’s curiosity led him to study contemporary artists, the Great Masters, and groundbreaking artists in photography and printmaking. Many of his works reflect these studies. His versatility flows in his many series: Sketchbook, Wind Series, Lost Painting and Zen Garden, to name a few.
Thomson died in 2014 surrounded by memories and his art. The paintings included in this exhibition at the Art Gallery at the Mill focus on the human perception and reaction to the natural world; one of the themes in his body of work. His paintings remain accessible and continue to be enjoyed and collected. Additional Thomson paintings are available at Bowersock Gallery in Provincetown, MA https://bowersockgallery.com/william-thomson/ and at the Van Ward Gallery in Ogunquit, ME https://www.vanwardgallery.me/period-fine-art.html For additional information contact Nancy Nevins; ngnev@comcast.net
