March Artist Spotlight
Earnest D. Thomas
I was born in Hempstead, Texas and attended Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas receiving the Electrical Engineering degree, 1964. I worked for the Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington in various engineering assignments and had the distinction of being the principal engineer responsible for the first ever Boeing commercial aircraft noise certification effort. My Boeing career additionally. included leadership management positions in Program Management and Human Relations.
I have always had a strong interest in art and architecture and has satisfied this interest by collecting ethnic art from across the world. The vast majority of my collection, however, comes from the continent of Africa. My interest in old African trade beads and a challenge from my wife inspired me design and make jewellery, an activity I still enjoy. I utilize engineering, industrial design and natural artistic sense with the experience gained from designing jewellery to create my 2D and 3D paintings. My artwork
is often informed by metal objects which are repurposed from our society of surplus. The works are said to range from organic to modern architectural. My works are indeed an integration of texture, color and shadow
created by the metal.
I am also president of Onyx Fine Arts Collective, a Seattle, Washington non-profit organization whose mission is to create opportunities for artists of African descent to showcase their artwork and contribute to the rich cultural diversity of the Pacific Northwest through the visual arts.
www.earnestthomas.com
I have always had a strong interest in art and architecture and has satisfied this interest by collecting ethnic art from across the world. The vast majority of my collection, however, comes from the continent of Africa. My interest in old African trade beads and a challenge from my wife inspired me design and make jewellery, an activity I still enjoy. I utilize engineering, industrial design and natural artistic sense with the experience gained from designing jewellery to create my 2D and 3D paintings. My artwork
is often informed by metal objects which are repurposed from our society of surplus. The works are said to range from organic to modern architectural. My works are indeed an integration of texture, color and shadow
created by the metal.
I am also president of Onyx Fine Arts Collective, a Seattle, Washington non-profit organization whose mission is to create opportunities for artists of African descent to showcase their artwork and contribute to the rich cultural diversity of the Pacific Northwest through the visual arts.
www.earnestthomas.com