In Memorium: Arthur Thomas

This week, I lost a friend.

I first met Mr. Arthur Thomas in fall of 2003, on the steps of Central Hall at Hillsdale College. It was my first day there as a freshman, but I knew instantly who he was. Earlier that summer, my twin sister and I had done a portrait of him. The college paid us for it, but it was also kind of a "test" to see whether or not we qualified for art scholarships. Mr. Thomas had donated substantial funds to the Hillsdale music department in honor of his late wife, and as is customary at Hillsdale, a portrait of him was then commissioned to acknowledge his generosity.

Portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Thomas, by Anna & Emily Holsclaw - colored pencil - 2003

Emily and I worked on the portrait together, and when it was finished, we were proud of our efforts, and excited to begin our four years at Hillsdale. Little did we know that we would become fast friends with the subject of our painting!

When I first met him, he was extremely gracious and sweet. I saw him nearly every day after that, for the next four years of school. He spent most of his time in the music building, donating his time to record all the recitals and musical productions. He would also wander into the art rooms and stop by during painting classes, just to say hi.  A perpetual student, Arthur took classes at the college because he loved to learn. He would join the other students for lunch in the cafeteria ("It keeps me feeling young," he said), and would sit next to Emily and me at nearly every play or concert we went to. Emily was the music major, and Arthur loved to hear her play piano. It's hard to imagine an 80-something-year-old man being such a techie, but he was... he recorded all of Emily's piano recitals, and gave both of us copies on CD. When he wasn't taking classes, helping out in the music department, or socializing with students, he could often be seen zipping around town in his little red sports car.

Always a giver, Mr. Thomas modelled for my portrait class once. I'm not sure whether or not he liked the portrait I did of him, but he purchased it anyway, to help me pay for frames and art supplies.

Portrait of Arthur Thomas - 24x18 - oil on linen - 2006

Art was like a grandfather to me and my sister; he was a constant for us and a source of wisdom and maturity whenever we felt overwhelmed by the pressures of friends and college life.

Above and below: Emily and Anna with Arthur Thomas, spring 2007.

He attended both of our weddings (mine in 2008, Emily's in 2009) and sat at a place of honor along with our own parents.

Mr. Arthur Thomas passed away in Coldwater, MI, at the age of 93. He will always be remembered as a generous giver and a man who loved knowledge, art, and culture. Rest in peace, dear friend. You will always have a special place in my heart.  

On Music and Color

Since the inception of "Twin Arts," I have realized what a powerful hold the theme of music and art, or art in music, have upon me, and how I wish to continue exploring them my work. Actually, these themes were fascinating to me and vital to who I was, long before I became a professional painter.

I grew up playing piano, and often found musical instruments to be aesthetic wonders, not just for the sounds they produced, but for their graceful forms and shapes. To take it a step further, a human being playing an instrument is a joyous thing to watch, as though that instrument were an extension of the person's own self. Translating that connection to a painting is both a challenge and a joy.

Countless artists have been inspired by music in their work; countless musicians are often inspired by art. During my junior year of college, I wrote a paper about one such musician, Olivier Messiaen. I felt a connection to this great 20th-century composer because he was heavily influenced by color and nature in his work. You can read the paper here.

I often found that "coloring" directly onto my musical scores helped me understand the music on a much deeper level. Musical tones, like colors, can have their own "temperature", "value", or "hue." It's a little hard to explain, but perhaps if you look at these copies of my score, you'll see what I mean...

Here is a page from Debussy's prelude, "Bruyeres (Heather)." I indicated its overall feeling by using pastel colors in warm and cool.

Here is another page, this time from my old score of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G# minor - a much more intense piece. I only used two colors, but indicated how the piece "heats up" and "cools down" throughout in varying degrees.

I'm not sure my brain interprets musical chords in the form of color to the extent that Messiaen's did, but there is definitely a connection. I would love to hear from other artists out there whether or not they experience a similar sensory reaction to music. Comments are welcome!