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Abstract oil painter JT Thompson is known for his fragmented, surrealistic landscapes.
Thompson manipulates perspective and scale to create his dream-like, labyrinth worlds.
Raised in southwestern Ohio, he moved to Columbus to study painting at the Columbus
College of Art and Design. JT has received Individual Artist Grants from the Greater
Columbus Arts Council, was selected for the Ohio Arts Council’s 2017 Biennial and also
was the recipient of Ohio Arts Council individual excellence award for FY 2023.
Exhibition. His work is represented in the collections of the Columbus Museum of Art, the
Greater Columbus Convention Center, the downtown Columbus Hilton, and Northern
Kentucky University, Columbus Hilton Tower and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Statement
Geometric Surrealist: The irrational juxtaposition of spatial contradictions of reality and
dreams.
I call my style Geometric Surrealism, which is the manipulation of the representation of
physical spaces to create a highly distorted vision of reality. My paintings start with
architectural elements – the illusion of rooms, staircases, and hallways. I employ multiple viewpoints of these spaces and corridors, which are simplified and distorted to produce a composition of geometric shapes and planes with graphic overtones. This creates the
illusion of depth with the X-Y-Z axis, scale, foreshortening, and place in time (the figures
placed in the composition). These figures, representing past; present; and future, are based on the theory of Box Universe and the use of past memories and experiences to
mold present and future experiences. The figures act as a design element that leads the
viewer through the compositions.
Spaces are stretched and contorted, almost to the point of becoming paradox illusions.
Varied light sources serve to deepen the impression of disjointed space. Forms rise and
recede simultaneously, as perspective seems to oscillate. Spaces that should be
comfortably familiar instead become ambiguous and conflicting. The only thing that is certain are the spatial contradictions. This framework challenges the predictability of
the observer’s point-of-view. A tension is created in trying to reconcile the spatial
contradictions. These subtle shifting spaces operate on a kind of dream-logic.
As an artist, I am interested in the subconscious workings of the psyche. My work serves as a meditation on the subjectivity that informs our interpretation of experience. This focus converges with a more formal interest in pushing the precepts of representational painting. I aim to create compositions that both surprise and intrigue.
This series of paintings depicts one’s movement through life and shows how our lives are not as linear as predicted. I believe that life gives multiple choices on a daily basis; lines break off to create new lines, new angles, doors open, planes shift, and stairways appear to reveal a Geometric Surrealism.
More info:
Website: https://jtoriginals.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtoriginals_llc