“My work is more about listening than speaking”
Thomas Flanagan | Artist
Artist Statement
The famous American Jazz composer and musician, Dizzy Gillespie, once said that he wasn’t interested in music – he was interested in sounds. Similarly, I’m interested in getting up close to experience and feeling by focusing on how sensations and sensibilities guide visual experience. My paintings are about how those things fit together and what happens with that moment.
For me, the process of painting through improvisation is incredibly important. Not knowing where the painting will take me and accepting the concept of mystery are paramount.
I’ve always been fascinated by artists who build their own language with a few colors, blank canvas and time. I tend to see such works as presenting something of a personal narrative of experience – a goal I try to implement in my own works as well. My titles are meant as a way in and offer a kind of narrative tone that touches on sensations and memories.
As a result, my work is more about listening than speaking. It is not about issues external to the visual experience of the work.
Ultimately, I make pictures I want to see.
