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Clayton Thomas' work is an amalgamation of style and technique. It
intentionally teeters between direct representation and artful
abstraction. The subjects are everyday scenes but the stylistic
execution launches it far out of the realm or monotony, creating a
dynamic visual world.
Thomas' prime subject-the feminine nude, alludes to universal forms
of femininity through geometric deconstruction. The nonspecific
handling of the subject evokes atmosphere and mood rather than
particular identity. Through painterly strokes and wide fields of
color Clayton Thomas describes women in truth rather than idealized
perfection.
Within the body of work there are also depictions of pop culture
icons, jazz nightlife, eerie interiors, religious icons and floral
still-lives. Which, like the feminine nudes, speak to larger human
experience. Many subjects have no facial features; they are a
celebration of natural form and common circumstance; they succeed
because they expand to the viewer in evocative ways. One can find
personal experience buried in the layered paint.
The body of work is an exploration of form utilizing a multiplicity
of techniques while exploring shape and color in aggressive pallets.
In addition to exploration of line and plane the idea of dimension as
illusion is also explored. Explicit foreshortening creates depth but
backgrounds shatter that illusion with intentional flat shapes and
two-dimensional patterning. The subjects are often tightly cropped
offering a further level of abstraction, which propels sections into
pure abstraction, functioning solely on the merits of composition.
Clayton Thomas' style fuses bold painterly strokes, reminiscent of
the American 1950s Abstract Expressionist movement with the concept
of deconstructed form resembling early 1900's cubist ideals.
Stylistic influence from some of the great modernist painters can be
seen in Clayton's work, though belonging to a school of painting or
representing a specific style is not what Clayton Thomas is about.
Although often considered an action painter for his fast-paced
process, the painting is also not about speed. Yet the rate he
completes work allows his collections to be transient as they evolve
and vary in size, pallet and feel. His approach ranges from tight
minimal geometric description to painterly textural abstraction, as
color and surface clash and co-exist and somewhere in between sits a
collection of pert expressions that indulge sprightly aesthetics.
Because Clayton Thomas paints appropriately to mood and available
materials his paintings reflect an evident process. This ephemeral
quality defines the tone of his work. The unfinished semblance
reflects an attitude that the final product is always secondary to
the artistic process. Spontaneity is evident as no rules apply. This
is what makes the art enticing and accessible. The painting is
neither stuffy nor elitist; it strives only to communicate what it
is: paint on canvas, but it simultaneously it transcends that
inviting viewers to bring what they will to it.-Katie Mangano
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