Talking to Alma Woodsey Thomas

I found myself talk with one of Alma Woodsey Thomas's paintings (Red roses sonata). The discussion has taken its form first as a dialogue and then as artistic actions, and last but equally important, the search for information to understand Thomas. I wanted to get a deeper knowledge of her relationship to her artistic practice. I found her painting Red roses sonata, on the Metropolitan Museum's website and got fascinated by the light and space I saw behind the red color pattern. (1)

If you are interested in the dialogs and strategies, you can read more about the method under “the methodology of intuition”.

Understanding A. Thomas

Thomas was the first woman in the fine art program at Howards University and graduated in 1924. After examination, she worked as an art teacher for 35 years, which allowed her to support herself while pursuing her painting career part-time. (2)

Thomas talks about her love of nature, that the relationship with colors is what brings life. She sees light as the mother of color. She says: “Man’s highest aspirations come from nature. A world without color would seem dead. Color is life. Light is the mother of color. Light reveals to us the spirit and living soul of the world through colors.” (3)

First impression - light that blinds me

When I look at her painting, Red Rose Sonata, I think I understand her ambition and my frustration a bit more. I instinctively squint because I want to see what's behind the red color. Maybe I am frustrated because I want her to reveal her secret, the secret about the spirit and soul of the light that blinds me. The light behind the red color forces my pupils to contract. My eyes would adjust to the light regardless of time, place, age, and ancestry. She says her paintings are for everyone:

She focuses on a kind of love of beauty and happiness, and says “Through color, I have sought to concentrate on beauty and happiness, rather than on man’s inhumanity to man.” (5) I think that her childhood memories play a big part in putting her in that state of emotion of love.

Thomas' expression is universal, for everyone, at all times. She talks about the universal language of humans. Her painting speaks to man's fundamental capacity for perception and subconscious impressions. She relies on her own experience and childhood memories, puts herself in a mood, opens the window, and paints vegetation, colors, sounds, light, and the atmospheric presence she sees and feels. 

Thomas describes her work: “ I looked at the tree in the window, and that became my inspiration. There are six patterns in there right now that I can see. And every morning since then, the wind has given me new colors through the window panes.” She drew inspiration from her childhood and painted her memories of the natural world. In fact, Thomas has developed a spiritual relationship with nature and its vegetation, colors, sounds, light and atmospheric presence, and this has shaped her as an artist.

1. Alma Woodsey Thomas, 1891–1978’.
2. Press Release, Columbus Museum of Arts and Sciences, 1982, for an Exhibition Entitled A Life in Art: Alma Thomas 1891 – 1978’.
3. Alma W. Thomas’, 1054.
4. Alma W. Thomas’, 1054.

The dialogues and actions with Red roses sonata

Dialog no 1
Title: Talking to Red roses sonata
Oblique strategies: Is the intonation correct?

Automatic dialog
Me: I was so happy when I saw you
Painting: look behind me
Me: that's what I do
Painting,: you see, I'm there behind
Me: yes, that's exactly what's so interesting. But did you have to show so little of what's behind, I go crazy staring at it. I get such a strong desire that what is  there behind should be exposed a little more, I just stare, without blinking, for a long time
Painting: that is the purpose
Me: to not show everything
Painting -
Me: not to be overly clear
Painting -
Me: you are driving me crazy, it's like a fatal attraction.. You are so vague in your exaggerations.

Confirmation: Do vague exaggerations

Dialog no 2
Title: Talking to Alma - metaphor
Oblique strategies: Make an exhaustive list of everything you might do and do the last thing on the list

Automatic dialog
Alma: Do you see that it has become a spine
Me: mm, it reminds me of fish I cleaned as a child in Jämtland
Alma: is it your backbone
Me: certainly not
Alma: are you sure
Me: one hundred percent
Alma: are you an expressionist
Me: definitely not
Alma: are you a neo-materialist
Me: I am nothing, and I am what I want when I want
Alma : oops
Me: ok, I was a bit harsh, sorry, but you provoked me
Alma: why does it provoke you
Me: I don't want to be anything specific, it always makes my skin itch when someone tries to define
Alma: as Roni Horn you mean
Me: ah exact
Alma: It's your backbone, I see it now, it's everywhere
Me: Ahhhh

Confirmation: Make me without hesitation, go straight ahead

Dialog no 3
Title: Talking to Alma - don't eat to many gumdrops even if you love them
Oblique strategies: Idiot glee (?)

Automatic dialog
Alma: Don't exaggerate
Me: what do you mean
Alma: you have gone to excess
Me: what then, you always do that
Alma: contrasts are not the same as exaggerating
Me: repeating the same thing endlessly as you do, some may also call exaggeration
Alma: stop listening if that's what you want, the only thing I'm saying is stop exaggerating where you don't need to
Me: gluttony
Alma: exactly
Me: like when you love gumdrops and can't stop eating them
Alma: exactly, stop doing that.

Confirmation: Balance your passions

Summary of the confirmations

Do vague exaggerations, but make me without hesitation. Go straight ahead and balance your passions.