Color and Graphic Shapes Mark the Art of Tom Flanagan
Trifles I, an art and antique gallery at 55 Main St. in Wiscasset Village, will be hosting abstract painter Tom Flanagan during Wiscasset Art Walk on Thursday, August 26, 5-8pm. An exhibit of Flanagan’s paintings, Cut Flowers, features the artist’s use of vibrant color, graphic shapes, and bold lines.
“I’ve always been interested in abstraction because it allows me to build a kind of logical mess that is unique to my sensibilities and experiences,” the artist writes on his web site. “It’s the organization of the ‘mess’ that fascinates me. It’s a kind of nod to what’s outside the studio and my reaction to it.”
The artist is a Yarmouth resident with a studio in Fort Andross in Brunswick. Flanagan has an extensive exhibition history including recent local shows at Cove Street Arts, Portland; Carver Hill Gallery, Camden; Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockland; and University of Southern Maine Gallery, Portland. In Wiscasset, the Flanagan exhibition will be in Trifles I for a month, according to gallery owner Helen Robinson.
In his artist statement, Flanagan describes his approach to making art: “For me, the process of painting through improvisation is incredibly important. Not knowing where the painting will take me and accepting the concept of mystery is paramount.
“I’ve always been fascinated by artists who build their own language with a few colors, blank canvas and time. I tend to see such works as presenting something of a personal narrative of experience. My titles are meant as a way in and offer a kind of narrative tone that touches on sensation and memory. As a result, my work is more about listening than speaking.”
Trifles II, around the corner at 55 Middle St. and also owned by Robinson, is her showcase for mid-century Modern, an aesthetic that she loves. While she sees references to the period in Flanagan’s paintings, the artist insists that his work is “immediately now.”
