Fred
Thomas
was born in Fort-Liberté (Haiti) and raised in Cap-Haitien
where he attended elementary school (Frères de L’Instruction
Chretienne) and secondary school (College Notre-Dame). After high
school, he moved to Port-au-Prince where he took private lessons
in fine art (Centre d’Art and Centre de Céramique).
Upon moving to Miami, Fred registered at Miami Dade College in
the Art Education program. His studies culminated with a bachelor’s
degree in Religion and Philosophy (the Union Institute and University)
and a Master’s degree in Psychology (Carlos Albizu University,
Miami). Since 1990, Fred took his artistic career very seriously,
exhibiting his cutting edge art pieces in group and solo shows.
He is currently an artist resident at Art South of Homestead.
Between work and his studio, Fred strives to teach and promote
visual art. While stressing the need for effective articulation
in one’s field of expertise and theoretical belief, Fred
also strives to advocate for Haitian artists living in South Florida.
Fred dubs his style “Integrative symbolism” which
he defines as an all encompassing approach allowing self discovery,
artistic freedom, and integrity, along with integration of various
styles, techniques and genres. The new style also allows the artist
the use of metaphors, allegories, symbols, cultural icons, collage,
and object trouvé (found object).
As a whole, Fred’s artwork reflects various phases. At times
he works in a surrealistic vein with paintings such as “Landscape
with Pears”. Sometimes he explores the cubist phraseology
and even some sort of primitivistic elongated people evolving
in strange cityscapes or landscapes denoting the artist’s
vivid imagination and his sense of balance and harmony. Fred lately
is more into abstraction producing pieces that are real illustrations
of his artistic ideas as related to Integrative Symbolism. “My
aim, Fred concedes, is an emotional return to the primordial pre-science
state when the inspired individual, using simple implements, was
able to make art spontaneously using whatever was available or
deemed meaningful.”
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