WILLIAM PAUL THOMAS

 

 

STATEMENT

I paint representations of disembodied heads of people in my social circle and sometimes scrawl text directly over their likenesses. That text is often tinged with dry humor, at times it is politically incorrect, and is regularly derived from the spoken vernacular of the communities I have lived in. My overarching goal is to share with diverse audiences what I see as worthwhile subject matter. That might include religious symbolism or popular slang. I make pictures to document select parts of my life.

Many of us have immediate psychological connections to representations of the human face. We look for similarities between ourselves and those represented; note key differences between “us” and “them.” “He looks like so-and-so.” “She reminds me of whatshername.” Assumptions or questions about the subject’s state of mind usually follow. If the expression that the subject wears is ambiguous enough, we might begin to project our own emotions onto them to interpret the painting’s message.

I choose specific models as a way of recognizing their significance in my life’s path. I relish being able to honor everyday people through making images. We regularly celebrate women and men of prominence in mass media, so I take advantage of the opportunity to highlight the people that impact me on a more direct level than any untouchable celebrity or distant historical figure could. I integrate text and other symbols into the portrait work to narrow the subject matter to a certain degree and complicate the viewer’s understanding of the portrait subject’s identity. The work begins as an intimate acknowledgement of an individual and is subsequently transformed into a set of symbols poised for the viewer’s investigation.

ABOUT WILLIAM PAUL THOMAS

William Paul Thomas is a visual artist and educator based in Durham, North Carolina.  His work is centered on making images to record his life experiences and to capture idiosyncratic depictions of love and adversity. For two decades he has created intimate painted portraits of everyday people. In 2009 he completed a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in Studio Art at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and in 2013 he became an alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Master of Fine Art Program.  He is currently the Visiting Assistant Professor of Painting Foundations at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina.

 

 

 

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