Show description:
“St. Thomas based artist W.B. Thompson’s breakout collection of works on view at 81C rings in the New Year with a celebration of multidisciplinary mediums. Thompson, an accomplished career artist represented throughout the Virgin Islands, Texas, and Florida, and arguably one of the most collected artists in the USVI - has delivered Sacré Bleu - Resolution Twenty Five. The exhibition features cutout assemblage panelworks and paintings, with select diptychs and triptychs standing over 6’ feet high - Thompson has delivered more than just his signature tropical-folk-charisma, navigating us through historic town scenes, profound three dimensional portraits, musical celebrations, and the joys and mystery of nature. The show is an immersive experience of bold colors and rich contexts. Significantly and memorably, this exhibition is scaled for a spectacular visual adventure.”
-The Curators, 81C, January 2025, Charlotte Amalie.
Artist statement:
"January art shows are during the height of resolution season. A new year allows for adjustments and tweaks in living. January 2025 marks the beginning of a new quarter century and the end of the first quarter of the 2000s which is pretty epic. For me it marks the beginning of the 35th year of an art career that presages social media, digital photography, AI, and instant access to the internet. Back in 1990 when I first painted wooly mammoths on cave walls by candlelight, I would have never been able to foresee the state of the world today. Hindsight is 2020, which was like five years ago so what will be in store in 2025, and in the future?
I wander like a Clydesdale horse with blinders into a near year, vaguely aware of my place in all of this. Painting affords artists time to dream and more importantly, each painting is an opportunity for new resolutions. Each painting is a new beginning, a chance to start over or to expand from an earlier idea. I have always sought liberation in my work. I have pursued a joy of seeing and expressing. In my early days as a painter, I remember writing a manifesto of how I wanted to paint and what I wanted from my life as a fledgling artist. I may have fallen short in certain areas, but time has a way of eliminating the unessential and paring down things to the most basic and most important. I care less now for many things that in my early years were motivating forces and as I slip into an age of increasing irrelevance I am liberated from many fears and insecurities that used to haunt me. Time is the best critic, and when I look back at early works I am pleased to see that many of my earliest works still retain a freshness and aren’t dated or tired. I am well past the midpoint in my career. In fact I read from a reliable source (on the internet) that an average art career lasts 8 years so I am now entering my fourth lifetime as a professional artist.
The works of this show reflect where I am now. These works are the sum of me at the moment. The thread is not a hot topic or talking point or trend.
The thread is me. I hope you find the works engaging, provocative, liberating, and challenging. Thank you for coming and looking at my art. Thanks also to 81C for allowing me a venue to share my ideas."
- W.B. THOMPSON, JANUARY 2025, CHARLOTTE AMALIE.
About the artist:
William Bradley Thompson is a mixed media artist whose works are noted for their bold colors and strongly developed forms emphasizing contour and line. His paintings, drawings, and assemblages are in private, corporate, and institutional collections worldwide.
Bill was born in Hudson, New York and lived his early years about a mile from the homes and studios of Thomas Cole and Fredric Church. He attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. While at Trinity, he was a student of Texas artist William Bristow, who gave him the initial early encouragement to avidly pursue painting.
Early successful shows, commissions, and gallery sales paid for Law School, and he briefly practiced Law in the Virgin Islands. The lure of creativity and art proved to be too powerful a magnet and he “retired” from the profession of law at the age of 28 to pursue his passion. He has been successfully painting and exhibiting his works worldwide for the past thirty years as a full time artist. Bill and his wife, Lori, reside in the United States Virgin Islands. He lives and paints at their home/studio above Hull Bay on the island’s beautiful Northside. He also maintains a stateside studio in Bolton Lake, Connecticut.