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Artists

Mildred Thompson

b. Jacksonville, FL, 1936
d. Atlanta, GA, 2003

From a young age, Mildred Thompson disassembled objects such as bicycles to learn more about their mechanics. While her early works were largely figurative, over time her paintings and drawings became more and more abstract, expressing more precisely her interest in science and the particle makeup of the universe, patterns that would appear over and over again in her practice. Thompson is known for creating “wood pictures” composed of found pieces of wood shaped into a range of geometric forms, encouraging viewers to consider the history of each piece of wood and how it might have previously existed. Her later paintings continued to transcend abstraction, with large, brightly colored canvases designed to engulf viewers. Reflecting on her dynamic practice, Thompson described her work as “a continuous search for understanding. It is an expression of purpose and reflects a personal interpretation of the universe.”

–Akilah Hartgrove, from the Glenstone Field Guide

Artworks by Mildred Thompson