Karl Thomas

1948 - 0000

Karl Thomas says art has always been a part of his life. His father, a doctor, was a Sunday Painter and both his grandmothers were also artists. He recalls getting into trouble at school for drawing caricatures of his teachers, but he didn’t decide to become an artist until he was a student at Brigham Young University, where he majored and earned a bachelor’s degree in art. After college, Thomas continued his art studies at the Los Angeles Art Center.

Following his formal education in art, Thomas worked a variety of jobs, including as an illustrator and art director for a sports magazine, and as an assistant golf pro before he ended up teaching art for eight years at the Waterford School, a private school outside Salt Lake City, Utah. While teaching, Thomas spent his summers and holidays traveling and painting. By the time he was 40 years old, Thomas was able to quit teaching and focus full-time on his art.

Thomas prefers to paint en plein air and is well-known for his paintings of the Grand Canyon, the Tetons, and the Wasatch Mountains. In order to paint the natural scenes he loves, he has become very adept at dressing appropriately for the season and packing his gear into areas where the terrain can be very difficult. “I enjoy painting the Grand Canyon, especially in winter. After a snowfall, the Canyon can be hidden in the clouds and fog, and you might have to wait for days to get a warm afternoon light. However, he says, “Nothing can substitute for experiencing a place with all its lights and conditions and doing color studies on the spot.” Painting en plein air he says, has forced him “… to work faster, especially in the winter, in changing weather conditions, and at sunrise and sunset. I don’t get bogged down in unnecessary detail and my strokes and color remain fresh.” Working in oils in the winter requires him to not only dress in heavy clothing and to work fast, but to use a palette knife and turpentine to soften the paint. The result is a style he describes as ‘realistic impressionism.”

Working from his studio in his hometown of Provo, Utah, Thomas continues to challenge himself to stretch as an artist saying, “I’ll always strive for something new, something a little different than what is expected, something more creative.”

WINTER SNOW - GRAND CANYON Oil on Canvas 1992 30 x 40 inches