If Only…

Dan Thompson is a mixed media artist, muralist, and musician whose artistic practice has taken many forms over the years. Thompson's newest body of work, titled If Only includes an eclectic mix of work that showcases his wide range of visual art.

Thompson explains where the title of his show comes from: "If Only is shorthand for: 'If only every idea deserves to become a work of art.' I've spent most of my career as a commercial artist, designing for others' needs. When it comes to the studio, I am the client. I find it much harder to know whether an idea is 'right' or 'good.' I keep coming back to this sentiment. There are so many different things I could draw or that I'd like to paint. So in this body of work, I decided every idea is good enough to be painted or drawn regardless of continuity." 

The work If Only is painted on a variety of surfaces, including plywood, canvas, and paper, and shows the expansive nature of Thompson's mind, as he always works from imagination.

One piece in If Only stands out in particular. Among the brightly painted abstractions reminiscent of Thompson's mural work is a stark black-and-white painting of a house on a hill. This painting is the most personal artwork that Thompson has ever made."

My cousin Boo lived in this house when I was a teenager. It was here that I played music for the first time. He was the first person who taught me how to draw skulls. He was the first art community I ever had. Today, the house is beautiful and well developed, so I had to paint it from memory." While this work of art stands out from Thompson's other work, it evokes a sense of memorialization and remembrance that also exists in graffiti culture and is evident throughout his work.