Favorite paintings

I first saw the work of contemporary artist Richard Thompson in the mid-eighties, when he lived in Austin (he now lives in upstate New York). I actually saw the work in a regional art magazine called Artspace. I was immediately drawn to his color, his drawing style and his themes and subject matter.
I've seen his work "in person" is some surprising locations. A print of a fish can be found in a upstairs dining area in the Dallas World Aquarium. A large painting and another print adorn the walls of Blue Mesa restaurant, also in Dallas. A friend has a small painting of an apple, which is very beautiful and causes waves of envy within my innards every time I see it. Of course his paintings are in private and public collections, but those are the ones I've actually visited first hand.
This example is a small study for a larger painting. His work has taken a direction toward more abstract use of imagery, less "literal", but this piece represents the qualities I'm most attracted to in his pictures.
More can be found at his website.



Here's an example of his more recent work. I visited an exhibition of his work at a local gallery and it's growing on me. Love those contrails.

Both images © Richard Thompson.