A DISJOINTED WORLD, VIEWED AS ONE: AN INTERVIEW WITH CHEY THOMPSON
Chey Thompson is a visual artist currently based out of Newark, New Jersey. His paintings are composed of multiple scenes, interwoven together and serve as a reflection of his world experiences. He is currently a member of the art collective “Just Bums’ and is a lead muralist for Mural Painter Inc. Chey Thompson received his Bachelors of Fine Arts from Kean University.
In expressing his mode of work, Chey states, “I have a hard time going with the flow or accepting the norm. I have a belief that just because things are done one way and have been accepted as one way for a long time, does not mean that that way is the right way, or the only way. I believe that every perspective is unique and they should all be considered in one way or another. With the use of oil paints I like to portray this kind of thinking through my use of placement, composition, and colors.”
“My paintings have been described as surreal or collage-like because of how I paint multiple scenes in one image or render objects together that don’t necessarily have a logical connection to one another. I will also subtract what some might expect to see in my paintings. Whether that means not putting facial features, or choosing colors that do not naturally pertain to that object or environment that is being painted. My goal is to use different scenes or objects to tell a story and make them relate to each other.”
