Phyllis I. Thompson

Phyllis I. Thompson is a Western New York artist known for her multi-media works that include prints, fabric and drawings. Her works feature depictions of family, relationships and various memories. 

Thompson received her BFA in printmaking from the Philadelphia College of Art and her MFA in printmaking from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. She has a PhD in Urban Education/Art Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. [1]

Thompson was an educator at Cornell University, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Kutztown University, and Buffalo State College. She also worked in the Chicago Public Schools as a resident artist with Urban Gateways and taught middle school students at University School of Milwaukee. [1]  In 1975, she was part of the Artist-In-Residence program at Artpark, in Lewiston, NY. 

For more than 30 years, Thompson has shown her work in galleries and museums across the US. Collections that house her work include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Printmaking Workshop, New York, NY, and the Brandywine Workshop Print Collection, Philadelphia, PA. 

Thompson works with textiles, printmaking, photography and collage processes. She credits her sixth grade teacher with recommending her for Saturday art classes where she became familiar with the vocabulary of artists, learned that there were other visual art disciplines besides painting and drawing, and decided to be a maker of art. In her artist statement, she says:

"I have been exploring monotype printmaking for many years. A monotype is a single print taken from a design created in printing ink on a flat glass surface. The design can be printed on a press or by hand. The monotype process attracts me because of its indirect method of producing a printed image that leads to elements of surprise, no matter how much I plan. Making a monotype in particular, is also akin to collaging, painting, and drawing on paper that I love. Using assorted collage materials…pieces of patterned fabric, textured papers, and photographs along with colored pencils and crayons, I create one-of-a kind mixed media prints.

My images are inspired by memories of childhood, of experiences with family and friends, as well as with ancestors I have only met through photographs. I give new life to ancestral photographs by bringing them out of a box or album into the present. A recent series of works I call Reminiscences can be likened to daydreams, meditations, and doodles. They are shapes, textures, words, and patterns that come together in visual form. The meaningful materials that I own or have collected that I incorporate into my prints gives them new life and energy. Combining pieces of memories with contemporary processes and materials intrigues me. Among the artists whose work I admire are Betty Saar, Miriam Schapiro, Faith Ringgold, Alma Thomas and quilters, past and present who are too numerous to name.

The circle has become an important symbol that I’ve given prominence in many of my prints. It connects to memories of my grandmother using needle, thread, and thimble to gather 3-inch fabric circles called yo-yo’s that were later connected to make a bedspread. The contrast of the quiet, natural country environment where my grandparents lived (on a farm), and the urban city where I grew up continue to intrigue me. Patterned wallpaper with photographs of family, the Singer sewing machine operated with a foot pedal, chickens in the yard, and frogs and turtles in a brook behind the house reflect experiences that I nurture.

Through my work I empower memories that tell stories…my art becomes the bridge that connects the past with the present and reaches into the future." [2]

She is a lecturer at SUNY Buffalo State and a teaching artist at various Buffalo educational sites. She maintains a studio at Buffalo Arts Studio where she is a resident artist.

[1]  "Phyllis Thompson", Young Audiences of WNY, https://yawny.org/arts-programs/phyllis-thompson/ (accessed 9/25/2020)

[2] "Artist Information", Phyllis I Thompson,  https://phyllisithompson.com/Artist-Information  (accessed 9/25/2020)