Reviews: Thomas Paquette

Selected comments in the media.

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some reviews and articles in full,
or a more complete bibliography.

"These are paintings gesturally accomplished, narrative but not literal and ... almost aching in their beauty.... It is that soul that the viewer seeks and, in work after work, finds. These are irresistible paintings."
Philip Isaacson, Maine Sunday Telegram.

"[Paquette] brings a sophisticated sense of color and design to his keenly observed scenes, which range from mountain valleys to seacoasts, ...."
Mary Abbe, Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"...[Paquette] distills the essentials of his scenes; he expands perception even as he reduces size and eliminates detail."
Helen Harrison, New York Times.

"Paquette's paintings give an exuberant impression of being just barely contained by paper or canvas. Each painting is a journey in and of itself."
Annelies Mondi, in On Nature's Terms catalogue

"...a fascinating new exhibition [On Nature's Terms : Thomas Paquette paintings]....There is both a visual drama and a peaceable nature connected to the painting, like many in this room, a sensibility and nature appreciation far from the madding, modern and urban realities we are forced to face in the day-to-day."
Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara News-Press

"Paquette is, after all is said and done, a realist; but his rendering technique pays attention to paint as paint, areas of color as individual abstract elements; and texture as an exploration in itself. The tension between these opposites, along with his strong sense of value and color and the dynamics of his compositions, are what make his work so fascinating."
Charley Parker, LinesAndColors.com.

"Whether it's a tiny, postcard sized gouache... or a wall-sized installation at a college, Thomas Paquette brings to his work the hand of a gifted artist and the spirit of a true poet."
Mary Soliwoda, In the Artist's Studio, with Thomas Paquette.

"Paquette manages to render you speechless, the same way a visit to the rim of the Grand Canyon can, whether you are looking at his painting of a blueberry bog in Maine or clouds over Hungry Jack Lake."
Lisa Gensheimer, Erie Times.

"What Paquette creates are enticing, balanced, glowing images ... rich, filled with light, and ... composed in such an eye-pleasing way that the viewer can’t help but want to wander around inside them."
Roslyn Stendahl, RozWoundUp.com.

"Thomas Paquette's paintings are an oasis. Without posturing, without reference to some ideological complexity, they are, to put it simply, gorgeous."
Philip Isaacson, Maine Sunday Telegram.

"Paquette’s approach is fascinating in several ways: his bold and daring compositions, his expressive brushwork, his use of naturalistic and expressionistic color — often within the same painting — and his unconventional treatment of edges. [He] brings his considerable range of technique to bear on a variety of landscape subjects, from intimate woodland interiors to grand vistas of rivers and plains, and in compositions ranging from tiny gouache paintings to large scale oils. "
Charley Parker, LinesAndColors.com.

"Paquette is a one-man Neo-Romantic movement, and there is truly a universal feel to his work that separates it from that of other landscape artists."
R. B. Strauss, Art Matters.