Alma Woodsey Thomas - Iris, Tulips, Jonquils, and Crocuses, 1969

Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 50 in.

Thursdays are dedicated to honoring artists who have passed away but whose contributions to the art world remain significant. Their impact should never be forgotten.

Alma Woodsey Thomas (September 22, 1891 – February 24, 1978) was an African-American artist and teacher who lived and worked in Washington, D.C

detailed view

Alma Woodsey Thomas developed her signature abstract painting style in her late 70s, after spending more than three decades teaching art in a Washington, D.C., junior high school. Characterized by brightly colored, lozenge-shaped brushstrokes arranged in long bands or dense, puzzle-like patterns, the style broke significantly with Thomas’s earlier realistic paintings. For all their apparent spontaneity, paintings like Iris, Tulips, Jonquils, and Crocuses reflect deliberate planning by Thomas. She often created watercolor sketches and used free-hand pencil marks on the canvas as a guide, some of which are still visible. - National Museum of Women in the Arts

Iris, Tulips, Jonquils, and Crocuses is currently on display at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC

Delve deeper: How Alma Thomas’s Radiant Paintings Plotted a New Course for Abstraction |

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