Artwork copyright Barbara Earl Thomas. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

A Fire in My House #2, 1990

Barbara Earl Thomas
American (born 1948)

Location: Cedar Heights Middle School, Covington

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

A Fire in My House #2 portrays a turbulent sea, trees bending in an implied storm, and a house engulfed in flame. In her work artist Barbara Earl Thomas explores the issue of control over chaos. On this theme, Thomas notes, "maybe I am looking for the secret that we are hiding from ourselves. It's whatever we fear, that deception played out in the subtle body of politics and power which we exert over each other and our environment."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with .

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Artist and writer Barbara Earl Thomas creates visual narratives that investigate social, psychological, and formal themes. Her art is informed by a "long and consistent practice of including the world in her art and her life in the world." She works in many mediums and materials, including painting, glass, paper, metal, wood, and egg tempera. Barbara Earl Thomas earned her Master of Arts degree in 1977 from the University of Washington in Seattle. She is a former Director of the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle. In 2016, she was honored with a Washington State Governor's Arts and Heritage Award and the Twining Humber Award for lifetime artistic achievement.