THOMAS PIHL
Thomas Pihl is a Norwegian artist based in New York City, USA and in Bergen, Norway. He works in painting, drawing and sculpture. In Bergen, he works as a Professor of Visual Art at The Art Academy in Bergen.
Pihl's paintings are close to monochrome surfaces of color, giving impressions of light. Pihl derives his colors by adding layer upon layer of paint. Mixing and blending till a dominant color appears. The different layers shimmer in a distance, shadows or memories of colors that were there before and now collectively form a new color. It shows when you look at the sides of the paintings where you still see drippings and jets of color that can be traced back to the final painting. The color of the painting draws you in, it lures you to look again and again. In Pihl's work the painting itself is the center of attraction, a window to a world that is undefined but aesthetically pleasing, referring to hidden meanings, messages from beyond the physical reality of the painting. The painting is an object but in itself materializes meaning and contemplation. The layers upon layers creates the paintings a sort of wax-like look, giving them a tactile, bodily, warm kind of presence.
For his sculptures, Pihl utilizes waste and leftovers from his studios. He hasn't thrown any materials from his studios away in decades. From discarded canvas, drawings, plastic, porcelain and other various materials, Pihl forms his sculptures and transforms this "artist's waste" to amorphous, beautful and strange sculptures.
Pihl holds an MFA from Hunter College City University of New York. He has had numerous solo exhibitions, group shows, and public commissions. He is represented in museums, public, and private collections.