Thomas Cale was born in the steel town of Johnstown Pennsylvania, also known as Flood City. The grit of coal and steel from Cale’s childhood shows up in his current abstract work. Dark charcoal lines, smudges, revealing reworks, and paint-overs are mixed with quickly applied areas of color, dripping washes of paint, and twisted exaggerated figures. Expressive lines and brushstrokes reflect the intensity of his approach and the passion of the characters that are represented.
Living and working in New York for over 20 years, Thomas continues to use human emotion and empathy as the basis of his raw, neo-expressionist style. Using this energy to focus on a broader human experience, his new work expresses images and ideas that seem to be created in a frantic and random way. Faces, words, and abstract shapes are scattered across the surface. Symbolizing how the brain collects information and develops feeling before opinion, Cale shares his imagery in an effort to communicate on a deeper level with his audience.
Thomas has shown mainly on the East Coast and has had multiple solo shows in New York. Cale’s studio exists in a historic, restored building known as The Chocolate Factory, originally established in 1888 in Red Hook, NY. The gritty urban outward appearance of the building is reminiscent of the steel and iron works of Johnstown Pennsylvania and the artwork created inside reveals an honest perspective of modern-day human struggle and perseverance.
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