Local Artist Bud Clay Thomas - Premier Solo Show

 

This past Saturday, Mrs. Mondo and I hung out with local artist Bud Clay Thomas to talk art, music, and his upcoming first solo show here in Gtown.

Bud Clay Thomas will have his first solo show on Galveston Island this Saturday, May 2nd, at Bacchus Wine Bar on the Strand (2404 Strand) from 6 p.m. until midnight.

This premier event, entitled [Surface Tension], is at least a year in the making as Bud became an Islander By Choice in the spring of 2008. Bud and his girlfriend (she's another post in the making) moved to Galveston in order to be involved in the local art scene.

At 24, Bud has traded his rural upbringing for an Island lifestyle. He grew up in a small country town just outside of Abilene, where as a kid he worked on farms with cattle. But Bud thrived more on making music and art. After playing in a band for a few years, he decided to develop his fondness and talent for drawing into a true calling and vocation. Bud began to study art on his own, learning about other artists in order to establish his own stroke. He dreams of one day creating art that moves people politically.

With [Surface Tension], Bud hopes to fully entangle himself into the Island's small yet developing art scene. He has shown work in Galveston previously in group art shows, but he looks forward to standing out on his own this Saturday.

This body of work that will be displayed at Bacchus was all created post-Ike. (You can stop by Bacchus before Saturday to check out a preview of the show). Like many artists, he lost many supplies and tools and had to start over.

Beginning anew was not as difficult as Bud initially thought it would be due to the support and encouragement of many people. Bud spent a month and a half after the storm roaming around Austin and Abilene without the means to paint in order to ease his frustrations, and he found himself anxious to get back to work. Upon his return to the Island, Bud painted for two straight days. And, he counts Marcel Duchamp as an influence on his work. (Cheers to you R. Mutt).


Bud Clay Thomas at Bacchus Wine Bar

Marcel Duchamp: "I discarded brushes and explored the mind more than the hand." But Bud did not completely throw the brushes away. They became a tool for blending unless a painted line was necessary. The majority of the work he created was done through a combination of pouring, squeezing, and atomizing - in a specific sequence. He then manipulated the materials to produce work of non-representational composition; like lyric-less music. (Sweet action indeed). Included in the exhibition is a piece of work that is a direct reference to The Style, or De Stijl, and specifically Piet Mondrian, a Dutch painter. The piece of work is titled "Piet's Nightmare," as the lines are crooked and the color is blended.

So, what does the title of his show mean exactly? Surface tension is an effect within the surface layer of a liquid that results in a behavior analogous to an elastic sheet. (Whoa? What?)  Basically, the effect of surface tension permits insects to walk on water and for drops of water to bead up. Bud's [Surface Tension] exhibition is woven into this idea by beginning his works flat, creating a plane (in the vein of Jackson Pollock). Using various materials he gives the canvas topography and then floods it with color.

So, we'll be down on Saturday to check out the full show and hope to see you out at Bacchus for some great art and great company, and just as importantly, to support local! Oh, and if you haven't checked out Bacchus yet, it's a treat - we loved the moody vibe, sofas, and of course all accented by Bud's fantastic paintings!