Jeff Thomsen
I’m essentially an unreconstructed impressionist, tempered somewhat by post-impressionism, and filtered through the local Pennsylvania likes of, say, N.C. Wyeth and Cecelia Beaux. That is, I enjoy the adherence to form amidst the pulsating sensation of light and color in nature that I am often overwhelmed by. And I like stories. Thus, it may be of little surprise that my favorite painters are Pierre Bonnard and Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
I am unconcerned with offering a particular message with my sometimes incomprehensible narrative works. The viewer is invited to arrive at her or his own interpretation and response. In any event, it’s my wish that my attempts at color, light, and the depiction of form bring their own rewards. As the old saying goes, “Nobody goes to the opera for the plot.”
The smaller landscapes and occasional still lives are almost always done or substantially started at the scene. The larger narrative works are created in the studio following the undertaking of many studies, sketches, and exploration of possibilities. For that reason, it is not unusual to see a framed “study” alongside an often larger “final” version. But in actuality, there are no studies or final versions — there are simply different versions of endless possibilities. I wish I had the time and understanding to explore them all.
I am unconcerned with offering a particular message with my sometimes incomprehensible narrative works. The viewer is invited to arrive at her or his own interpretation and response. In any event, it’s my wish that my attempts at color, light, and the depiction of form bring their own rewards. As the old saying goes, “Nobody goes to the opera for the plot.”
The smaller landscapes and occasional still lives are almost always done or substantially started at the scene. The larger narrative works are created in the studio following the undertaking of many studies, sketches, and exploration of possibilities. For that reason, it is not unusual to see a framed “study” alongside an often larger “final” version. But in actuality, there are no studies or final versions — there are simply different versions of endless possibilities. I wish I had the time and understanding to explore them all.
Jeff Thomsen 2020 video by John Thornton
most recent solo exhibition was held March 15 - April 9, 2023. A selection of works is currently available at the gallery as indicated below. For inquiries on all others, please Contact Us.
Cerulean Arts Collective Virtual Tour & Talk - March 29, 2023
Toward Evening, oil on linen, 30" x 40" Available
Keeper, oil on linen, 30" x 20" Available
Young Jaguar, oil on linen, 24" x 30" Available
most recent solo exhibition was held March 15 - April 9, 2023. A selection of works is currently available at the gallery as indicated below. For inquiries on all others, please Contact Us.
Cerulean Arts Collective Virtual Tour & Talk - March 29, 2023
Toward Evening, oil on linen, 30" x 40" Available
Keeper, oil on linen, 30" x 20" Available
Young Jaguar, oil on linen, 24" x 30" Available
Six Young Jaguars, oil on board, 13" x 15" Available
Study for Toward Evening, oil on linen on board, 16" x 20" Available
Cat on a Fence, ink & watercolor on paper, 6" x 7.5" SOLD
Midsummer, oil on board, 10" x 10" Available
Quiet House, oil on linen on board, 14" x 18" Available
Perhaps Five Trees, oil on board, 8" x 16" SOLD
Summer Walk, oil on linen on panel, 9" x 12" Available
View to the Yard, oil on panel, 8" x 8" Available
First Leaves and Last, oil on linen on board, 11" x 14" Available
Midday, Spring, oil on board, 10.75" x 10.75" Available
Morning in the Shadow of the Yew Trees, oil on board, 8" x 13.5" Available
Small Pavillion, oil on board, 6.5" x 8.5" Available
Ball Field Study, oil on board, 12.25" x 18" Available
Return in the Summer, oil on linen, 24" x 30" SOLD
Rocks at Beavertail, watercolor on paper, 7.5" x 12" SOLD
Cove Off Conanicut Island, watercolor on paper, 7" x 10" Available
Rocks at Fort Wetherill, watercolor on paper, 7.5" x 11.5" Available
Jamestown Harbor, Showers, watercolor on paper, 6" x 12" Available
Rhode Island Windmill, ink wash on paper, 9" x 8.25" SOLD
Notating Nature, oil on linen, 24" x 36" SOLD
Summer Night in a Small Yard, oil on linen, 18" x 24"
Cat in Yellow Room, oil on linen mounted on panel, 16" x 20"
Night Scene with Cat, oil on panel, 12" x 16"
By a Quiet Road, oil on linen mounted on panel, 12" x 18"
The Light Across the Street, oil on panel, 11" x 14"
Lemur Looking, oil on linen mounted on panel, 9" x 12"
A Rumor of Spring, oil on panel, 14" x 11"
Bright Morning along Karakung Creek, oil on panel, 12" x 16"
Things Which Grow in Early Spring, oil on panel, 12" x 9" SOLD
Morning Study, oil on panel, 12" x 9"
Playing in the Creek, oil on panel, 9" x 12" SOLD
Flowers after News of Tilda, oil on panel, 18" x 12" SOLD
Summer Morning in Cathy's Yard, oil on panel, 8" x 16" SOLD
On Athens Avenue, oil on panel, 7" x 10.25"
Warm Morning, oil on panel, 8" x 12"
Red Tree Fall, oil on panel, 10" x 10"
Lynx, oil on panel, 9" x 12"
Step Study, oil on panel, 8" x 10"
Study for Return in the Summer, oil on paper, 11" x 14" SOLD
A Cat's Journey, oil on linen, 24" x 30" SOLD
Day Lilies, Hot Afternoon, oil on panel, 10" x 10"
A Mississippi Nocturne Study, oil on linen mounted on panel, 14" x 11"
Winter Bank, oil on linen mounted on panel, 9" x 12"
Community Garden, oil on panel, 9" x 12"
Midday, When People are at School or Work, oil on panel, 12" x 12"
Overgrowth and Undergrowth, oil on panel, 10" x 10" SOLD
Late Winter Thaw, oil on linen mounted on panel, 6.25" x 10" SOLD
February Dog and Walker, oil on panel, 8" x 8" SOLD
Sasha, charcoal on paper, 4.5" x 8" SOLD
March Snow Shadows, oil on panel, 8" x 8" SOLD
Study for Early Morning in a Small Town, oil on linen mounted on panel, 8" x 12" SOLD
Field Patch, August, oil on panel, 8" x 8" SOLD
March Daffodils, oil on panel, 10.875" x 18.375" SOLD
Corner Daffodils, oil on panel, 6" x 11" SOLD
Corner of a Yard, oil on museum board, 8.25" x 9.5" SOLD
Midsummer, Mill Grove, oil on panel, 8.25" x 13.125" SOLD
Bartram's Garden, oil on panel, 8" x 8" SOLD