Colton Thomas

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My paintings are material encapsulations of my ego’s torment, thereby acting as vehicles to relieve my soul from suffering. I incorporate bold colors, such as red and black, along with others which refer both to the light as well as my physical form — tones which are inspired by the pigments found within the palms of my hands — in order to create abstract forms that feel as though they’ve manifested on their own. The scale of my artworks are informed by the notion that our internal struggles often feel bigger than us, out of control, and hard to manage. Through color and form, I directly confront enticing egoic energies that spread throughout our being and present themselves as (false) avenues for self-empowerment while creating a radiant, perceptual gap between said energies and our greatest alternative: the light.

I offer my work as bridges for communicating and interpreting unique individual experiences and perceptions as they pertain to the discussion concerning mental health and spirituality.

Ceros
Ceros is an intuitive extraction of baneful, egoic energies that — when translated and encapsulated as paint on the canvas — depict sensations of blunt force trauma. A collective of emotions are sealed in malignant growths that spread and entangle in a surrounding black mass with spire-like defenses. In contrast, paint drippings symbolize attempts at surrendering these egoic attachments into the healing nature of light.
Black Liana
Black Liana is an intuitive extraction of baneful, egoic energies that — when translated and encapsulated as paint on the canvas — depict sensations of sprawling affliction. A collective of emotions are sealed in malignant growths that spread and entangle in a surrounding black mass with spire-like defenses. In contrast, paint drippings symbolize attempts at surrendering these egoic attachments into the healing nature of light.
Compartmentalized (I & II)
These paintings are informed by my signature style, which is represented in Ceros and Black Liana. My challenge to myself was to simplify my work as much as possible while still being able to evoke what my work does through simple shape and bold color. Lately, I’ve been describing them as abstractions to my own abstractions. Conceptually, these paintings symbolize the attempt to control detrimental energies through compartmentalization. There’s signs of this through the use of geometric shapes and lines, but as we can see, these energies don’t want to be controlled; they want to be loose, raw, and organic.
Dwelling in Darkness
During the later hours of a winter’s night following the finish of Dwelling in Darkness, Thomas describes the sudden, unspoken connection felt between him and his painting: December 18, 2020 There is something rather intriguing about this painting. It speaks to me. It presents what feels like a recognizable experience — one not of this world. My process felt as though I was sourcing from dark, egoic energies within me. I perceive this manifestation as a memory of suffering from the transitioning between incarnations, as if my failed soul had taken innumerable walks through blistering hellfire, as if my soul is commanding my body to manipulate the materials into a message for my rational mind to see and hear. I understand now that this painting represents the surrender of egoic energy, for what is now encapsulated within the perimeter of the canvas is weight freed from my spirit. I am taught that I do have the ability to control that which does not serve my soul. ― Colton Thomas
Bio: 

Colton Thomas is an emerging artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He received his BFA in Fine Arts Practice from California State University, East Bay in 2022. Relying heavily on painting as his medium for expression, Thomas’ work is a culmination of baneful energies that exist below the surface of physicality which are represented through bold colors composed in abstract forms. His work parallels his spiritual growth by directly confronting egoic entrapments and further discovering methods for surrendering egoic sources into the light. He seeks to awaken undiscovered depths within the souls of his peers and provide his artwork as a service which mediates a safe place for conversation regarding mental health. His most recent exhibition was in March 2022 at the CSUEB Gallery.

uk
london
Canada
Devlin
中国
Kunming
United States
CAMBRIDGE
United States
Grand Rapids

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