A World of Connection: Thomas Conrad

STORY BY VALENTINA GUTIERREZ in LUXIERE no. 45

Japan, France, Spain, Iran, India … Thomas Conrad has called many corners of the world home over the years, and since moving back to Tulsa two decades ago he has continued to find inspiration from those far-flung travels to act as continued influences on his engrossing art. From famous influences in centuries past to plans for his current and future creative evolution, our conversation with the contemporary painter and printmaker — whose works can be seen at OKC’s Howell Gallery — covers quite a bit of ground. 

Can you describe how the pop art movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s influenced your art during that time?

I lived in Tulsa at that time, and the pop art movement of the ’60s and ’70s was a huge influence on my life. This was the heyday of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, among others. While working on my M.A. in painting at the University of Tulsa, I began my journey in my artistic expression — inspired by American pop art as well as traditional European artwork.

Your work often incorporates Middle Eastern, Asian and William Morris [1834-1896] patterns. How did your travels and experiences in Japan, Spain, Iran and India contribute to this pattern integration in your paintings?

Hitchhiking, taking trains and buses traveling across Europe from England in 1977 through the Middle East to India and Nepal made me aware of the interlocked sense of design in all Islamic cultures — some going back to the Persian empire. As the world of Islamic design spread east and west from the 8th century, I resonated with this visual connection and began incorporating these design elements and patterns into my work.

How has your technique evolved since the 1990s, particularly regarding your focus on Asian, Arabian and European patterns and the use of koi and bird imagery?

Until the 1990s, I worked exclusively in oils, but as I began to use intricate patterns as my infrastructure for oil, birds and figurative imagery, fast-drying acrylics better suited this approach. 

Could you share the inspiration behind integrating images evoked by Kitagawa Utamaro [1753-1806] and Caravaggio [1571-1610] in your recent figurative pieces?

Utamaro, the most famous Japanese painter of women, fascinated me with his use of line and patterns, and that I’ve incorporated and even copied as an homage in my paintings over the last three decades. Caravaggio’s dramatic dark backgrounds were the inspiration for my most recent realist portrayal of koi fish in oils. Many of my paintings feature a William Morris pattern known as “Marigold.” In fact, this pattern serves as the infrastructure of the entire painting in many cases.

How does your art reflect the unique cultural and artistic elements from the places you have lived or traveled to, such as Japan, Spain and Iran?

Unique cultural and artistic elements such as koi fish, water lilies, figurative representations — and of course, the patterns found architecturally — as well as in fabrics, wallpapers and more …  become my own when I interpret these established patterns in a wholly new way, such as when they are applied to human skin tones and koi fish scales, for example. 

Do you have a favorite piece of artwork that you’ve created, and what makes it unique to you?

Currently, I am working on a large-scale painting (5’6” x 6’6”) that features the figures from Botticelli’s “La Primavera.”  Due to its scale, it has taken quite some time and patience to work on it, although I am nearing completion! This, I believe, is my favorite painting. It incorporates floral patterns over each figure and in the background. 

What directions do you see your art taking in the future? Are there new themes, techniques or mediums you’re eager to explore?

I am always open to inspiration, and find it in many areas of life, generally travel.  Recently, I have visited northern New Mexico and have been working on a series of landscape paintings using ancient petroglyphs and tribal symbols in the skies and backgrounds.