Frances Thomas’ innovative approach to space, colour and form continue to assert the role of art to provoke thought and reflection. Often lyrical and energic in attitude, she is working against a fixed image being more interested in depicting, among other things, a psychological state. Though her images may be entirely intuitive and improvisational, they also inspire multiple interpretations that speak to our moment, without any one association dominating. Concepts such as doubt, renewal, flux and the messy beauty of existence remain central to her practice.
A Canadian painter and printmaker, Thomas received both her BFA and MFA from York University, Toronto, ON and is the recipient of the Samuel Sarick Purchase Award for excellence in thesis work. She has participated in residencies in Pouch Cove, Newfoundland and Triangle Arts in Brooklyn, New York and in 2016 spent three months in Berlin on a self-directed residency. Her paintings were featured in a solo exhibition, “but wait”, with an accompanying catalogue, at the MacLaren Art Centre in 2009/10. Thomas currently lives and works from her studio in Barrie, Ontario. She has exhibited in Barrie, Montreal, Edmonton, Toronto and New York and her work is in the permanent collections of the MacLaren Art Centre, Bank of Montreal and York University.