Joy Thomas



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Joy Thomas with Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig at official presentation of his portrait at the Pentagon, January 25, 2001 (Photo by JOSN Rain Thomas)
A fine arts major in college, Joy Thomas began drawing and painting as a child. She was born in Borger, Texas and has made Kentucky her home since 1965. An accomplished portrait painter, Joy Thomas also excels at painting landscapes, still lifes and interiors. Proficient in watercolor, pastel and oil, her paintings have garnered national and international awards, including the 1996 First Place Prize from the American Society of Portrait Artists. In 1998, she traveled to Sydney, Australia as guest instructor for the Australian Society of Portrait Artists and to receive their Honorary Lifetime Membership award. Joy Thomas won First Place in the "Best Paintings of 2000" competition sponsored by The Artist's Magazine, and was featured in the December 2000 issue.

She won her first international prize with a Holbein Award in 1989. Her work was then chosen by the state of Kentucky in a cultural exchange exhibit held to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Joy Thomas is a recipient of the Kentucky Watercolor Society Award. Her paintings have been selected for many juried exhibitions, among them, the historic Salmagundi Club and the National Arts Club of New York City, where she was honored with three awards in 1991. She won the 1 994 Michelangelo Award in the eight-state Central South Exhibition of Nashville, Tennessee. Her portraits were recognized by The National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, D.C. where she was invited to place a portfolio in their archives. Official portrait commissions include: Secretary of the Navy, Richard Danzig, U.S. Senator Wendall Ford, Federal Judge Edward Johnstone, President Emeritus of the U.S. Naval War College, Ronald Kurth and Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Earl Osborne. She has completed many private commissions for leaders of business, finance and industry. Her paintings are in the official archives of state and federal buildings, including the Pentagon.

Her landscape and still life originals are included in collections worldwide. Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries and in public spaces such as the Massillon Museum in Ohio, Louisiana State University, Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Connecticut, Scottsdale Artist's School in Arizona, Square House Museum in Texas, the Parthenon Museum in Tennessee, Dawson Springs Museum in Kentucky, Wrather West Kentucky Museum and the Lexington Art League of Kentucky.

Joy Thomas continued her studies at the Woodstock School of Art in New York on merit scholarship from the Pastel Society of America, the Scottsdale Artist's School of Arizona on a merit scholarship from the Scottsdale Gallery Association, the Fechin Institute of Taos, New Mexico, the Loveland Academy of Fine Arts in Colorado and the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Connecticut.

Joy lives with her husband, Fred Thomas in Louisville, Kentucky. They have three children. The studio is located just a few steps from the house. With a fine arts degree, Fred Thomas works full time with Joy as business manager and master framer. He designs, mills and often carves the frames on her paintings, specializing in gold and silver leaf finishes. With his assistance she continues to paint as she keeps up with a growing demand to lecture, demonstrate, jury and teach workshops on painting portraits, still lifes and landscapes en plein air.

Feature articles about her career and paintings have been published in American Artist magazine, November 1996, The Artist's Magazine April 1997 & December 2000, International Artist magazine,January 1999 and in The Best of Portrait Painting by North Light Books 1998. Advertisements for her portraits appear in Southern Accents magazine and Veranda magazine.
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Joy Thomas is available for workshops. To learn more about scheduling one in your area, please
contact the artist after reviewing the online documents. The organizer of a workshop attends free.

Advertisements for her portraits have appeared in Southern Accents and Veranda magazines.

The career and paintings of Joy Thomas have been published in
The Best of Portrait Painting by North Light Books 1998
The Artists Magazine April 1997 & December 2000
American Artist magazine November 1996
International Artist magazine January 1999


Joy Thomas can be reached at
270-559-1681
jhthomas@wk.net
Louisville, Kentucky
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