Winter Shadows c. 1960

Alma Thomas made this watercolor, Winter Shadows, at some point during her career; it's like a garden scene, but it's also all about the delicious process of painting. You can see how the watercolor bleeds and blooms across the paper. There's a real sense of experimentation, like she’s playing with the push and pull between representation and abstraction. Look at how the thin, black lines create a sense of depth, even though they’re just marks on a flat surface. Notice the way the colors interact – the yellows and greens peeking through the darker shadows, creating a feeling of light and air. It's pretty loosey-goosey. For me, what's so interesting about this work is how it relates to the work of Helen Frankenthaler. Both artists really explore the possibilities of color and form, but Thomas brings a unique sense of joy and exuberance to her work. And in the end, isn't art about embracing ambiguity and finding new ways of seeing the world?