Thom Kapheim ( b.1944- )
Thom Kapheim is an American artist born in Illinois in 1944. He studied sculpture at Northern Illinois University where he completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1967, and later completed his Masters of Fine Arts in Printmaking and Drawing in 1971. Kapheim works in many mediums including acrylics, pastels, woodcuts, and ceramics. He also actively engages in book illustration and theater set designs. Thom Kapheim’s work speaks to the inner self and reveals the truths, fears, and anxieties of our society. His vision of fantasy and dreams is supported by his masterful use of line and color, the colorful and imaginative figural landscapes resonate with the viewer while simultaneously representing a symbolic, mythological world. Kapheim's work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States including major galleries as well as multiple private and corporate collections.
Words from the Artist
The forms and symbols that I have used since I began to create, have always been in the form of recognizable images. the meaning of each is subject to the context they are found in. These new paintings composed primarily of forest and water are at first glance traditional landscapes. They are then transformed into entirely new landscapes through symbols. Theses symbols are filled with sensual nuance and disquieting imagery. I use juxtapositions of size and physical orientation as well as the textural nature of paint to transform them. These symbols and images continue to evolve, with the viewers participation and interpretation until a visual dialog is established between the viewer and the art.
This is essentially what my art is meant to do;
My work will lead the viewer into a place that is primal in the subconscious. My work is an invitation to visit. It is necessary for the viewer to participate in the art work for it to be interpreted meaningfully, that is why the art is, in form and in content, less defined. When the viewer "finishes" my paintings, drawings and other art forms as a willing, and sometimes not so willing participant, the act of art is validated.
Many of the works are connected to universal issues and inspired by folktales and mythology. but most importantly they are to be open ended. Each is a new sequel to that which proceeded it. I have used my life time enriching my visualization of certain fundamental themes based on the nature of humankind.
Like the Zephyr winds my work is fleeting yet accessible to those who allow, that which is rational and that which is attributed to dream, to intermingle in the twilight.