When you view the work of Barry Thomas, you are viewing the life and real experiences of the painter himself — places he has traveled, people he has met and landscapes he has cherished. Thomas is an artist who believes that immersing oneself wholly in nature and stepping outside of comfort zones on a daily basis is the only way to produce honest art, and the inspiration for his passion.
Thomas began his journey as an artist and nature lover as a child growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas. “I always sketched and drew as a kid. I loved the outdoors. I spent so much time backpacking and fly-fishing. I studied nature even then; I was always interested in things like rocks and creeks,” he said. After graduation from Catholic High School, Thomas went on to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he played football and studied art history and architecture. There, he realized his true passion and continued on to study art exclusively at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He developed his skills and technique as he studied and worked part time painting backdrops for film sets in Los Angeles. Before returning to Little Rock in the late ‘80s to become a full-time artist, Thomas did some world traveling and studied two of the artists whose work has been most influential on him — Claude Monet and JoaquÍn Sorolla. Thomas, like these two masters, paints in the impressionistic style, which he described as, “transforming the subject matter into an emotion.” He paints in oils and utilizes a technique known as impasto, where one uses a palette knife to lay the paint rather than a brush. Thomas’ paintings are rich in colors and the thickness of the paint gives it an added texture, that when viewed at close proximity, tempts the viewer to reach out and touch the small piles of color.
“This style appeals most to me because I like the freedom of expression it allows.” Thomas said. “I am interpreting what I see in my own way, and I am not restricted to take the subject matter so literally. The painting can go so many ways, depending on the light at the moment of the day that you capture it. My favorite times to paint are early morning and late evening.”
Thomas does much of his painting on site, a style known as plein air. He never premeditates a site or a subject matter; he prefers to let the inspiration come to him. One of his favorite ways to happen upon a subject is traveling with his painting gear in his horse trailer.
“I load up the horse trailer with paints, put canvases in the stalls and head out on the road. There is nothing better than waking up with the sunrise in the trailer and pulling out a canvas. The only real way to understand light is to paint outside. You can learn the true balance of light and really get to see the full range of color. That is the way I learned to paint, and it is just fun to be outside.”
In addition to “painter,” Thomas is quite the adventurer as well. He gets up with the sunrise each day and embarks on a journey that is constantly teaching him new things about life and himself. Kayaking, road biking, running, snow boarding, skiing and team roping are among his free time activities. He prides himself on challenging his “comfort zone” on a daily basis. “People are victims of their own comfort zones. I like to put myself in new places, and as an artist I feel this is essential to keep yourself inspired.”
Thomas’ latest obsession is his involvement in a roping team that competes in Arkansas and surrounding states. “My family has always bred and trained horses,” Thomas said. “We’ve shown English and Western horses since I was a kid, and I have always wanted to rodeo. I got into the sport about five years ago.” Thomas works with a team of local ropers and competes in the United States Team Roping circuit. “It’s like when you catch a fish on the end of your fishing pole, and the fish yanks on the line, and adrenaline just shoots through your body. Now just imagine roping a 700 pound steer — the rush is amazing.”
Thomas’ works of landscapes, figures, western scenes and more, can be found in galleries throughout the state and country. View his latest works in an exhibition at Greg Thompson Fine Art gallery in North Little Rock, Ark., from Sept. 17 through Nov.12. Learn more about Thomas at barrythomasart.com.
