Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Thom Shaw - Artist


Thom Shaw is gone.The song says "everything must change nothing stays the same", we accept this because we must. Thom was about something more than applying ink or pencil to paper or canvas. His was a message, boldly and un-apologetically stated. I had known Thom since the 70s but didn't know him at all. The art side of Thom spoke loud and clear. He revealed almost no details of his private life to me. I never thought to ask him. Our discussions were always about our latest projects, his always seemed way more ambitious than my own. A lot of our discussions took place by phone. Thom was an idea machine pouring out his thoughts like a John Coltrane or Eddie Bayard solo. "The young become the old, mysteries do unfold", we grew older in our parallel universes. I'm proud that we sometimes shared a gallery wall with our respective art work. There will be a memorial service for Thom soon. I'm sure there will be much more eloquent words spoken about him than I can offer. I hope my actions will resonate louder than words as I continue to attempt be about something with my work. Thom would be pleased with that. Photograph © Melvin Grier