CURRENT EXHIBITION

SUMMER ART EXHIBIT

William Paul Thomas & Kwaku Osei

Through Veins & Vines

June 6 – July 26, 2026

This exhibit will be open for viewing on Fridays, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., or by appointment.

W I L L I A M P A U L T H O M A S
I paint representations of disembodied heads of people in my social circle and sometimes scrawl text directly over their likenesses. That text is often tinged with dry humor, at times it is politically incorrect, and is regularly derived from the spoken vernacular of the communities I have lived in. My overarching goal is to share with diverse audiences what I see as worthwhile subject matter. That might include religious symbolism or popular slang. I make pictures to document select parts of my life.

Many of us have immediate psychological connections to representations of the human face. We look for similarities between ourselves and those represented; note key differences between “us” and “them.” “He looks like so-and-so.” “She reminds me of whatshername.” Assumptions or questions about the subject’s state of mind usually follow. If the expression that the subject wears is ambiguous enough, we might begin to project our own emotions onto them to interpret the painting's message.

I choose specific models as a way of recognizing their significance in my life’s path. I relish being able to honor everyday people through making images. We regularly celebrate women and men of prominence in mass media, so I take advantage of the opportunity to highlight the people that impact me on a more direct level than any untouchable celebrity or distant historical figure could. I integrate text and other symbols into the portrait work to narrow the subject matter to a certain degree and complicate the viewer’s understanding of the portrait subject’s identity. The work begins as an intimate acknowledgement of an individual and is subsequently transformed into a set of symbols poised for the viewer’s investigation

K W A K U O S E I
My practice operates at the intersection of history and material, investigating how community narratives are embedded within the physical surface of an offering or object. I am drawn to the stories that shape our environment and seek to bring them forward through a highly intentional, tactile process.

This current body of work relies on the physical weight of unconventional mediums to construct a countervailing cultural critique. To build these narratives, I synthesize traditional foundations, such as watercolor, acrylic, and graphite on Arches and Red River cotton paper, with materials that carry their own inherent histories. By integrating 4c Senegalese Twist, Black 2.0 pigment, deconstructed colonial flags, and even Masimo pulse oximeter cords into the work, I actively move beyond traditional representation.

The materiality of these pieces directly serves the subjects being documented. When archiving the legacies of pioneering figures like Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore and Dr. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong, or when exploring complex cultural frameworks in works like Fawohodie ne Aya and Osei Bonsu, the surface itself becomes a site of vital cultural construction. Everyday materials like glitter glue, tracing paper, and 26/6 staples act as unexpected binding agents, holding together layers of historical inquiry and personal memory.

Ultimately, these layered works of art are acts of material-driven storytelling. By bridging the gap between rigorous intermedia exploration and the physical documentation of community, I want these objects to serve as a tangible accumulation of the people, the histories, and the materials that connect us.