Painting - Drawing - Sculpture
Thomas Pihl derives his colors by adding layer upon layer of paint. Mixing, blending till a dominant color appears. The different layers shimmer in a distance, shadows or memories of colors that were there before and now collectively form a new color.
In most encounters with a work of art, we will almost automatically think: What is the artist trying to communicate or say? Which codes are to be deciphered and which references place the artwork in a larger context? In that sense, it can be difficult to describe what you see and what you think when you stand in front of a painting by Pihl. What we see, experience and sense in front of us seems meaningful and rich in content, as if it is something that can be captured by thought and thus formulated.
But in what we see, there are no points of reference, no recognizable shapes, letters, contrasts, to which we can refer, to give the language help. It is as if these objects and surfaces evade the essence of the interpersonal; verbal communication.
We can describe the pictures by pointing to which color they are. We can draw attention to shading, how the paintings seem to fade towards the edge of the image, and how the surface looks like a membrane. But it is limiting and deplorable.
An earlier series of works by Thomas Pihl bears the title Prearticulations. In other words, something that lies before articulation, before language. It is very appropriate. Because the images escape the language. But it is fundamentally about perception; sensation and the intellectual reflection on the sensation. The basis of all art.
Artist statement
I work with color and natural light. The process to derive to a visually charged artistic result is to add layer upon layer of translucent paint. I disperse the fine pigment into a slab of acrylic medium, This not only to facilitate a vehicle for light to physically penetrate and infiltrate the surface which create a complex blend of painterly and natural light – It also creates a soup of pigment and light so intimate, that its difficult for the eye to differentiate.
The layers and layers of translucent paint are laid out with almost invisible contrasts to challenge and test the eyes capacity to differentiate subtle and barely visible phenomena. I hope to both clarify and obscure the eyes ability to pin down where the experience clearly starts, and where it ends. I reduce the visual vocabularies to a seemingly monochromatic arrangement where the color and light bounce back to the eye. The grain of pigment is suspended in a slab of clear acrylic medium. This again opens up for natural light to penetrate the surface of the painting.
The light occupies the translucent space between the surface and the canvas and surrounds the pigment. This visual arrangement opens the surface of the painting to the onlooker’s own vision. My intention is to facilitate a display where eyesight - pierce the surface and bleed in through the suspended fog of pigment. The veiled manipulations and the sensuality of the surface may stand as metaphors for discovery and possible detection.
Additional information
Upon sale, an additional 5% art fee will be added to the price. This goes to Bildende Kunstneres Hjelpefond, supporting Norwegian artists.