SANTA FE, N.M. -
July 23, 2013 -
PRLog -- If you were to come upon one of Eric G. Thompson’
s scenes in real life, it would be as quiet as the paint on his canvases. Whether he’s creating a landscape, a portrait or a still life, the contemporary realist chooses the most serene subject matter. It’s in this muted, glowing space that he aims to make a bold statement about the bustle of the modern world. In “Breaking Through With Light”
, Thompson’
s exhibition showing at the Matthews Gallery from August 2 through 15, the artist proves that a revolution can be sparked in silence.
“We need more quietness in this fast-paced, complex life,”
Thompson says. “In a world of pop culture that seems to be anti-silence, people seek the stillness they need without even realizing it.”
Working in watercolor, oil and egg tempera, the Utah valley artist focuses on the way light plays across simple objects and resting figures. He encourages us to pause and consider a seashell perched on the windowsill, an old river boat outside someone’
s garage or the simple lines of a wooden church steeple.
Once we’ve surrendered to this peaceful sensibility, old recollections and associations begin to bubble up. “A painting needs to remind someone of something in their life that they have forgotten,”
Thompson says. The artist’
s images have the feel of weathered photographs brought back into sharp focus, with faces and scenes that hold a familiarity both comforting and haunting.
In the end, Thompson has just one creative focus: light. “As a child, I would search out a patch of light entering the room and sit there forever in total bliss,”
the artist says. That early fascination has lasted a lifetime. “I feel that every one of my paintings is essentially a study of light or lack thereof—
light coming into a room, light hitting an object, stretching a shadow, lighting an edge. All of this can be very powerful and moving in a painting,”
he says.
Eric G. Thompson’
s “Breaking Through With Light”
runs at the Matthews Gallery from August 2 through 15, with an artist reception on Friday, August 2 from 5 to 7 pm. For more information, please log on to
www.thematthewsgallery.com.