Thus far we have met some pretty incredible people who have, for whatever reason, decided to make art. If anything, our trip has shown that you do not need professional training to create a work that is beautiful or has meaning. Still, the average Joe or Jane is terrified of the idea of doing art because they “can’t even draw a simple stick figure.” This is actually a good thing because, to my knowledge, there are very few stick figure galleries out there. Despite that fact, lack of artistic ability is usually a pretty good excuse to keep the run of the mill person from making art even though they are blessed with a pair of perfectly functional hands. But what if you lost some of the motor function to your hands? Well, then you certainly would have an excuse to by-pass art; or if you’re like William Thomas Thompson that might just give you the push you need to dive right in.
 |
| A sample of Thompson's work |
Once we had finished exploring the areas around Columbia and Bishopville, our trip brought us back to the upstate of South Carolina.
Specifically we ended up in Greenville, SC where we had heard of a self-taught, biblically themed painter.
Not knowing exactly what to expect we set out for what we assumed to be a small studio tucked inside the residential neighborhood indicated by our directions.
To our great surprise we turned a corner and found our artist in residence located, studio and all, in the Greenville Gassaway Mansion.
The house turned studio is a beautiful, multi-storied building that holds much of Thompson’s work and with all his pieces, Thompson definitely needs the space.
 |
| Gassaway Mansion and home to the artwork of William Thomas Thompson |
In 1989 international businessman William Thomas Thompson developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder that left him with reduced motor ability in both his hands and feet.
After a failed attempt at returning to the business world and later in the field of missions Thompson started the only thing that seemed to work, painting, and he has been doing it ever since.
Currently, Thompson has thousands of pieces depicting biblical scenes of Genesis and Revelations as well as political pieces.
 |
| Thompson's creation of the sun and moon |
 |
| Thompson's depiction of the first day of creation |
Thompson’s style is unmistakable from the loose, fluid figures and shapes found in conjunction with selected text.
His acrylic figures form impressive images on canvases that have gotten to be as large as a 300ft long mural that is now housed in the American Visionary Art Museum of Baltimore, Md.
Thompson’s work stands as a tremendous accomplishment both physically as he works with his disability and emotionally as he has faced little local appreciation for his art.
 |
| Some of Thompson's work on display at the Gassaway Mansion |
So why do it?
Why spend the countless hours of tedious physical excursion to create the works in spite of his disability?
The answer is simple.
Thompson has a message to get out.
For Thompson, the act of painting is physically taxing and for this reason inspiration alone doesn’t seem to cut it as a reason to paint.
Instead Thompson’s artwork seems to come from an unstoppable urge to get his message out, that is to say when the pain of not painting outweighs the pain of painting.
And he has succeeded in his goal, taking his pieces cross country and even beyond US boarders to scenes in Europe and Iceland.
 |
| Thompson's depiction of a scene from the Rapture |
So, if you are ever in the neighborhood of Greenville, SC and you want to meet a visionary artist I suggest you look up Thompson.
You too can visit his collection at the Gassaway Mansion found at 106 Dupont Dr., Greenville, SC 29607 but make sure to shoot him an email at
thompsonart99@hotmail.com first.
Also, if some of his work interested you feel free to check out more on his personal website at
http://www.arthompson.com/contact.html.
 |
| Sample of Thompson's "electric" painting style |
Until next time,
-Nathan
No comments:
Post a Comment