Eric G. Thompson paints in the elusive and mysterious medium of egg tempera. It involves more chemistry and cooking than squirting paint from a tube onto a palette. It also involves, as the name implies, eggs. And in Thompson’s case, his own chickens.
Sacred Flight, egg tempera, 24 x 18"
That level of commitment to his medium is reflected in his subjects, which include rural, farm-like settings that speak back to a time when everyone had their own chickens. “I grew up in the suburbia of Salt Lake City for kind of my whole life. And so I always had to leave there to find a lot of the subject matter I paint. I’m drawn to old homes and old churches—that country life,” Thompson says. “About two years ago, I ended up in a little Utah town called Fairview. I live on a little farmhouse with some property and lots of countryside.”
Reliable, egg tempera, 21 x 10"
Thompson will be showing new work, as many as 15 new pieces, at the show Close to Home, opening June 27 at Meyer Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The artist’s work calls back to the rural farm scenes of Andrew Wyeth, another artist who used egg tempera at a high level, and yet Thompson has found his own voice amid his unique Western locations. His subjects thrill him, as does the process, and the work spills out of him in the studio.
Winter Tea, egg tempera, 27 x 24"
“I can work feverishly fast. I work as fast as I can because I get so excited about the pieces, which is interesting since the process is very tedious and requires a methodical type of discipline. It’s a beautifully natural process, but requires a lot of materials and time. It also requires a lot of layering—layers upon layers of cross hatching and detail. It all becomes a labor of love,” he says. “The detail can be so fine that it’s actually a miracle I’ve never been diagnosed with carpal tunnel [syndrome]. I can sit there and let my wrist do all the work for hours. It’s the same motion until it hurts, but then I get into a meditation that allows me to get lost in the rhythm.”
That attention to detail, and repetition of brushstroke, can be seen in the new piece Reliable, which shows a hammer against the wood grain of a table, and also Sacred Flight, which has exquisite detail in a farmhouse roof and in nearby grass. Another important new work is Winter Tea,which shows a windowsill rendered in a stunning three-dimensional style while a distant tree is painted flat as a grey silhouette—the combination of flatness and dimension breathes life into the scene.
Legendary, egg tempera, 19 x 24"
“There’s an honesty in the way Eric paints that’s hard to miss,” says John Manzari, owner of Meyer Gallery. “Egg tempera, like Andrew Wyeth used, suits him. His work is patient, grounded and clear. Close to Home carries that same quiet strength.”
On June 27, Thompson will conduct a painting demonstration at 11 a.m. followed by an opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Close to Home runs through July 10. —
Meyer Gallery 225 Canyon Road, Suite #14 Santa Fe, NM 87501 • (505) 983-1434 www.meyergalleries.com
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