Divine

Divine, by Barbara Earl Thomas, image from artist's website, photo by Spike Mafford, copyright Spike Mafford 2021

Divine, by Barbara Earl Thomas, image from artist's website, photo by Spike Mafford, copyright Spike Mafford 2021

Name/Title

Divine

Entry/Object ID

2023.1.4

Description

Cut paper and hand-printed color work on paper, composed of a papercut silhouetted figure of a man wearing a hat, surrounded by grapes and text "Divine", on top of a painted landscape.

Artwork Details

Medium

Paper

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Barbara Earl Thomas

Role

Paper Artist

Date made

2021

Dimensions

Height

40 in

Width

26 in

Copyright

Copyright Holder

Barbara Earl Thomas

Interpretative Labels

Label

Thomas' works often explore themes of identity and history. She is inspired by history, folklore, spirituality and her family's Southern roots. She created Divine from rolled color lithograph cut and collaged overlaid with intricate razor cut black paper.

Label

The artist wants the viewer to complete the sentence, to interpret the art based on their own experience. The artist came to cut work after a glass residency, at Tacoma Glass Museum. The cut work brings light into the image.

Label

"Hand rolled letter press color cut and collaged overlaid with razor (exacto-knife) cut black paper. Divine: of, relating to, or coming directly from God or a god In each of us there is the everyday, ordinary, work-a-day person; one who may rise early to till the field, clean the stable, prepare the table, and guard the children, and who becomes, when required, the same person who garners the forces, protects the hearth, or attends the ball in a flourish and beauty to reveal all that is required of the truly divine. I look for that quality in my subjects and strive to reveal the divine in what otherwise may seem corporeal or mundane. lnye Wokoma, Seattle based artist and photographer, was my inspirational subject for Divine. He graciously allowed me to use his likeness, in my quest to reveal what is true in the best among us. He was the SAM guest curator for the renovated American art galleries. note: This piece was originally created for Packaged Black, at the Henry Gallery 2021-22 a collaborative exhibit with New York based artist, Derrick Adams."