Momentum Artist: Trisha Thompson

Trisha Thompson, Oklahoma City

Private Bedroom Routine and Phantom Ambience

Oil and Watercolor

Q: What was your concept(s) behind your work(s)?

TT: Private Bedroom Routine: My concept was my way of visually portraying my social anxiety. My bedroom becomes this vice where I find myself spending a large amount of time because of nowhere else to go. I draw influences from the solitary nature of caves, which is stylized in the bed sheets. I'm drawn to muted colors and the intimacy of a small canvas, especially since my room is rather muted: gray floor and white walls and being a dorm, it is rather tiny.

Phantom Ambience: This concept comes from the abstracted truth of nature and how nature is seen through the subconscious. I record my dreams daily when possible, and one of my dreams influenced this piece. The dream consisted of nature being structured, involving images of these twisting roots that kept repeating over and over in overlapping layers. I tried to use colors that I would naturally see in my mind when I close my eyes.

Q: Explain the technique and/or process you used for the piece(s).

TT: Private Bedroom Routine: I used reference material of myself with the use of natural light coming from my window. In the painting the window represents the outside world: society. I used very thin layers of oil paint and just kept repeating these thin layers each time they dried.

Phantom Ambience: The process for this painting involved some work outside of my usual planning. Although I had sketches of the roots, I dripped large amounts of diluted watercolor on the paper and let it run its course, which caused these interesting modulated shapes inside of the roots. I then outlined these shapes and emphasized their natural character. Most of the painting consists of 10 to 40 overlapping layers of diluted watercolor, causing an ethereal, translucent atmosphere.

Momentum Tulsa 2009 includes visual art by artists aged 30 and younger. The exhibition is free and open at Living Arts, 307 E Brady, Tulsa, until October 24. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Sunday 1-5 pm, until 9 pm on Thursday and Friday.

Curators Scott Perkins & Frank Wick selected 93 artworks by 66 artists from all over the state for the exhibition. Also, three Spotlight artists created bodies of work on display, Nick Bayer, Dustin Boise, and Emily Kern. Intern Ashley Romano interviewed the artists to learn about their creative process. Watch for more profiles throughout the run of the exhibition.