Creativity Explored, San Francisco’s premier nonprofit art center and gallery for artists with developmental disabilities, is proud to present a new solo exhibition featuring the work of long-time CE artist Thomas Pringle. Since joining the studio in 2006, Pringle has amassed an impressive portfolio of prismatic paintings and refined drawings alive with his playful sensibility.
Pringle’s brilliant and bold portraits, mostly of women, depict a strange beauty with a nostalgic undercurrent. In conversation and through his artwork, Pringle tells stories about his subjects, both real and imagined, sharing his quixotic take on reality. Ladies Man not only offers the viewer Pringle’s evocative artwork but his charming personality and penchant for whimsy. The exhibition also includes a series of illustrated short stories by Pringle, accompanied by original prose that mix fact and fantasy with a wry sense of humor.
With an appreciation of American pop culture and the female form, Pringle enjoys painting his favorite celebrities, like Dolly Parton, Cher and “Bond Girls,” as well as pin-up models who he often names. Starting to sketch on paper with graphite, the self-proclaimed realist painter will erase and redraw until his forms settle into a satisfactory composition. “What I see is what I draw,” Pringle states. Throughout the process of applying paint, Pringle will move beyond his sketched forms to define his subjects with thick gestural lines filled with emphatic color. Accompanied by flat vibrant backgrounds, his subjects spring into being and beckon us to step into Pringle’s reality.
Pringle was born in 1941 and has stated he has been making art since he was a baby. Pringle had developed his own art practice by the time he joined the CE studio. He speaks of creating art in Austin, TX. Before coming to Creativity Explored, he lived and collaborated with a local artist, creating elaborate installations in their apartment that incorporated Pringle’s wheelchair. At Creativity Explored, Pringle is a dedicated artist who arrives each day ready to work, approaching his practice with a resolute focus and steadfast hand.
Despite his serious work ethic, Pringle brings his sense of humor and affinity for story-telling to the studio each day. Known by fellow artists and instructors as a jokester, he spins elaborate tales that keep studio members chuckling and spirits high. Pringle’s inspiring presence in the studio is undeniable, motivating both artists and teaching artists alike to approach their art with a balance of sincerity and revelry.
Curated by Visual Art Instructors Glenn Peckman and Patricia Rubio
For more info: www.creativityexplored.org
