w17art
by Michele Malinchak
The French novelist Emile Zola once said, “The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” Without realizing it, Dean Thomas has lived by these words ever since he knew he wanted to be an artist. His strong resolve and work ethic kept him on his creative path to becoming a painter and printmaker whose work is continually inspired by nature.
Working as a professional artist since 1982, he said, "My strong and deeply rooted connection to the natural world is what drives me to paint.” Through his work he hopes to spark a connection between viewers and the natural world that he fears is disappearing.
A favorite spot he likes to paint is the Tohickon Creek watershed where he marvels at the freshwater mussels and martins that live there. He also enjoys painting the Delaware and small streams. “I like getting lost in nature, being absorbed by it.” When he’s not painting, Dean enjoys backpacking, fly fishing and kayaking.
He especially has an affinity for trees and feels they exemplify the very best of nature. “If I had only one thing to paint it would be trees.” He talks about certain maples and oaks like they are old friends. “I have my favorites and each has its own personality.”
Though he might begin painting outdoors, he finishes work in his studio. “I like the marriage of a controlled environment and the uncontrolled.” Sometimes he works from photos but limits their use. He always edits his work and takes out elements like power lines that may distract from the landscape.
His preliminary sketch is done on untoned, white canvas with charcoal or pastel pencils. He then thins his paint with Liquin, a quick drying medium for oils, and applies transparent washes of color. Dean uses a watercolor approach to painting in that he builds from thin to thick, allowing him to experiment with color.
He admires painters of the Hudson River School and the New Hope School who have both influenced his work. In addition, the engravings of Currier and Ives were key in his decision to major in printmaking.
Born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Dean grew up in Haddon Heights with an older brother and two twin sisters. Artistic as a child, he drew on the walls of the family’s home. To spare the walls, his father, who was a photographer for DuPont in Deep Water, NJ, brought home sheets of paper for him to draw on. He often took his children to the Philadelphia Art Museum and encouraged creativity.
On the side his father photographed weddings and hand colored the prints. As a boy, Dean accompanied him to weddings and recalled Polish weddings being the most fun. Afterwards he’d help his father work the fixer tray in the basement darkroom. Seeing images appear like magic in the tray, Dean said, “That was the closest I ever was to him.”
At high school Dean won art awards and went on to attend Glassboro State College (now Rowan College). His parents had reservations about him making a living at art and his mother encouraged him to get his teaching certification. But he was determined to become an artist, not a teacher.
While at school he worked part time at odd jobs and devoted evenings to his art. “To this day,” he said, “I work best at night.”
He majored in printmaking with a secondary field of study in painting. Dean graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He still remains in close contact with his former painting instructors whom he considers mentors and occasionally takes his paintings to them for critiques.
From 1983 to 1994 he worked as a printmaker and created over 100 hand engraved plates for monotype and hand colored watercolor prints. Monotypes are one of a kind prints from a plate that’s been painted and pressed onto paper. His work was displayed in over 30 galleries throughout NJ and Philadelphia and he became an exhibiting member of the Philadelphia Watercolor Club. During this time he also entered his work in various juried shows and received several awards.
On the side he supported himself through a number of jobs: landscaping, selling shoes, framing pictures and refinishing furniture. He even drove an eight-ton truck for Century Seafood in Philadelphia. “I had the early 6 a.m. route and delivered seafood to Center City restaurants,” he said.
Seeking a change, he moved to Boulder, Colorado where he lived with two other artists. Lacking a press, he began to paint exclusively in watercolor and worked at an Arts Plus frame shop. Breaking into the local art scene proved difficult. Tourists who came to visit wanted to buy traditional western art, not the landscapes he painted. “It wasn’t a good fit for me,” he said.
In 1995 he moved back East and was drawn to the artistic hub of New Hope. To make ends meet he worked in the produce department of the local Giant food store where his day began at 5 a.m. Without a car, he pedaled his bike to work in snow and ice and recalls the winter of ’96 being exceptionally brutal.
He also did framing at the Michelin Gallery (now Chapman Gallery) in Doylestown and later exhibited there. His paintings were also shown at the now closed Travis Gallery in New Hope.
Locally he has received awards from juried shows at Stover Mill Gallery in Pipersville, Coryell Gallery in Lambertville and Phillips Mill Art Exhibit in New Hope. His paintings were also judged at the Tinicum Arts Festival where he won two awards in 2005 and 2006.
When he moved to Bucks County he transitioned from painting in watercolors to oils and has used them exclusively for the past 20 years. He also moved away from highly realistic work into a looser, more painterly approach, though he finds himself going back and forth from one style to the other. “Painting is not formulaic and should be based on mood,” he said.
His favorite seasons to paint are fall and winter, but his work is not limited to landscapes. He also paints portraits and pointed to one done recently at a life drawing and painting session at the home of artists George and Emily Thompson. Held each Thursday, the sessions provide artists the opportunity to work from live models. Even though he’s stepping out of his comfort zone, Dean has been attending the sessions for the past five years. He may not always be pleased with the results and said, “You can’t knock them out of the park all the time. You have to learn how to fail.”
Fortuitously at one of these sessions he met a retired teacher who was selling a brand roll press and he was able to resume printmaking. The custom made Martech press has a 28 by 48-inch bed with a nine inch steel roller. Today his printmaking has almost eclipsed his painting. “Not many people are doing it anymore,” he said. He equally enjoys both mediums adding, “They feed off each other.”
The dry point engraving process he uses begins with him drawing on paper. He then places an acrylic plate over the image and uses an electric engraver to transfer the image to the plate. Multiple colors of paint are mixed and applied with a dauber to the plate. “The trick is to retain pure colors when it comes off the press,” he said.
The process is labor intensive and Dean drew a clear distinction between his printmaking and the mass produced reproductions done with a camera or computer. “Printmaking is an art form in itself that has been misunderstood over the years,” he said. In addition to engraving, he also enjoys doing wood block prints.
His engravings of wildlife are particularly striking and bring to mind the detail and craftsmanship of James Audubon’s prints. Dean’s depictions of herons, hummingbirds, fish and turtles are authentic depictions of his interactions with nature and its inhabitants.
The artist lives in Sellersville with his wife, Stephani, who teaches art to elementary school students. In 2015 she won Bucks County Teacher of the Year Award. Dean also has a son named Dean, whom he calls Denny, from his first marriage.
In addition to being a fine artist, Dean works part time as a furniture refinisher at Bucks County Cabinetry in Doylestown and does picture framing through the Chimayo Gallery in Perkasie. He is also skilled at doing faux finishing and painted his dining room walls in this fashion.
To see some of his recent paintings, visit deanf.thomas.com. Dean’s engravings are carried by the Chapman Gallery, 46 East State Street, Doylestown and can be viewed on line at: thechapmangallery.com. His oil paintings are shown at the Patricia Hutton Gallery, 47 West State Street, Doylestown and online at: patriciahuttongalleries.com.
Michele Malinchak is a freelance writer and avid gardener from Quakertown, PA.