Bio
Trevor Wade Thomas is a painter and draftsman born in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1987. He creates artwork in the traditions of perception and places emphasis on the materiality of paint to explore the world's perceptual oddities through his paintings.
Thomas received a BA, magna cum laude, with an emphasis in studio art from Colorado College in 2010. During his undergraduate studies, he had the opportunity to study in Europe and work with various visual art media. After graduation, Thomas apprenticed for Eric James Bransby, a WPA muralist born in 1916. He worked as Bransby's principal assistant on a mural for the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and learned the traditions of egg tempera, buon fresco, and traditional mural painting from Bransby, who had studied under Thomas Hart Benton, Boardman Robinson, and Josef Albers. Since then, Thomas has created two murals of his own, including an altarpiece for the Church of St. Uriel in Sea Girt, New Jersey.
In 2015, Thomas earned an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he trained under and assisted artists such as Scott Noel, Vincent Desiderio, and Renee Foulks. During his studies, Thomas developed a strong devotion to figuration and anatomy, which remains a central topic in his visual explorations and teachings.
Currently, Trevor Wade Thomas teaches foundations, materials, and techniques both privately and at local institutions. He consistently publishes artistic and educational content on his YouTube channel: the Oil and Earth Studio. His work has been showcased and collected in the United States and Europe, and he regularly exhibits his paintings.
Artist Statement
As an artist, I am fascinated by the interplay between the world as it is and the world as I perceive it. In my paintings, I seek to explore the relationship between these two realities and create a visual dialogue that bridges the gap between them.
My paintings consist of two distinct realities. The first is the observational reality, which is grounded in the physical world and is based on what I see around me. This is the reality of objects, people, and landscapes that exist in the world, and it is the foundation upon which my paintings are built.
The second reality in my paintings is the perceptual reality, which is my own personal truth as I experience it. This is the reality of emotions, memories, and perceptions that shape my view of the world. It is the lens through which I interpret and interact with the world, and it is an integral part of my artistic process.
In my paintings, I seek to create a conceptual bridge between these two realities. Through color, composition, and technique, I aim to blur the boundaries between the physical world and my own perception of it. My paintings serve as a visual exploration of the interplay between the two realities, inviting the viewer to contemplate the relationship between what we see and what we feel.
Ultimately, my paintings are an expression of my own personal truth, and I hope that they serve as an invitation for others to explore their own perceptions of the world. By creating a bridge between the observational and perceptual realities, I aim to create a space for contemplation and reflection, allowing viewers to engage with the world in new and meaningful ways.