Alma Thomas

My son Berkeley, who loves all things rainbow, recently introduced me to the art of Alma Thomas (1891-1978)—which provides a dose of the bright and sunny we all need right now. Her art fantastically appeals to many of Berkeley’s loves: rainbows, patterns, space, Snoopy. Inspired by NASA’s Apollo program, Thomas made several “space” paintings in the early 70s, including the Snoopy series: “Snoopy Gets a Glimpse of Mars,” “Snoopy’s Vision of Mars,” “Snoopy Sees Earth Wrapped in Sunset,” and “Snoopy—Early Sun Display on Earth.”

Born in Columbus, GA, Thomas lived and worked in Washington D.C. where she taught art at Shaw Junior High for 35 years. When she retired in 1960, at the age of 68, she was finally able to devote herself to her practice full time. In 1972, Thomas became the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum. Thanks in part to this exhibition, Thomas’s work was acquired by a number of major American museums.
***Snoopy—Early Sun Display on Earth*** 1970
acrylic on canvas

The Philips Collection provides an excellent interactive tour of the exhibit Everything Is Beautiful, along with videos and information about Thomas.

I also recommend this article on CultureType: “50 Years Ago, Alma Thomas Made Space Paintings that Imagined the Moon and Mars”