(Earlville, NY – March 2015) Tony Thompson is an emerging artist with a unique vision, an unusual history, and a back-story that would have derailed most young artists. Now residing in Utica, Thompson was born in Lynchburg, Va. and raised in Syracuse. The classroom in his early years was a source of anxiety, and to escape this discomfort, he began to draw. Drawing became a way to express thoughts and feelings that could not find their way into words. On his way to school every day, he passed graffiti and artwork created by the Syracuse street artists scene. Its influence eventually found its way into his drawings.
Today his work usually involves combinations of screen-printing, spray paint, and paint marker. The early influences and themes of his work can be seen in his surreal urban imagery, which often contains spray paint cans and caps as a totem of respect for his background in graffiti – a reminder of the path less chosen that worked for him. Relatively new to the gallery scene, Thompson is a young man on the cutting edge of artistic expression, someone very aware of his journey and its context, whose art pays homage to that path and others still traveling it.
The Earlville Galleries are pleased to show the work of Tony Thompson in the Arts Café Gallery until May 9. Titled “Cloud Physics,” the exhibit chronicles his fascination with and depiction of clouds over the years, from his street art days to the present. “As a symbol, I have always used the cloud as content or a tool, but never as a focal point. This show focuses on the symbol of the cloud.”
Also on display in the Earlville Galleries: TeensART 2015 and “Changing Landscapes” featuring the artwork of seven upstate women artists. Admission is free.
The Opera House is wheelchair-accessible with a ramp and a lift. For more information, visit www.earlvilleoperahouse.com or call 315-691-3550. Gallery hours are 10-5 Tuesday-Friday and 12-3 on Saturdays.