IDNet customer Chris Thomas is a self-taught UK based artist who, after leaving school at 14 overcame a lack of opportunity through dedication and hard work.
Tell us a little about your background and how you got into painting.
I’m originally from Eastbourne and moved to East London at the age of 23. I ended up living with Malcolm Livingstone, the famous cartoonist for ‘Cozmic Comics’ and ‘Time Out’ magazine. Malcolm was the person who encouraged me to develop as an artist first with clay sculptures and later with paint. Things didn’t go well at first and I recall saying “Sorry Malcolm, I can’t paint. I can only draw” Malcolm looked at me and said “Alright Chris, don’t paint then – draw with a paint brush”. After this I never looked back.
Where has your art taken you?
I’ve travelled the world learning new techniques and skills from cultures across Asia, Europe and the Americas. People say they can see these eclectic influences reflected in my style.
Whilst living in Malibu, California I created story boards, film sets and scenery for Hollywood art director Alan Roderick-Jones. I sold commissions and canvases to various people including Steve McQueen’s wife Ali MacGraw. I guess my favourite memory in the States was getting drunk with jazz legend Miles Davis!
What has life taught you?
I’m a huge fan and supporter of Prem Rawat, who travels the world speaking to millions of people on the need for and possibility of peace. He recognizes that all people hold within them an inherent thirst to be content, and that humanity’s essential desire is for peace. Although we may have lost touch with it, peace is found in the heart of every human being. Prem Rawat sees that if enough individuals experience peace, society as a whole will be at peace. In this way we are all interconnected.
How did you come to be an IDNet customer?
Quite simply, I was drawn to their message – Everything Connected.
I’m not very clued-up on computers and technology, but I am tuned into what people say and what they do . IDNet’s ‘Everything Connected’ message can be taken on so many levels. Sure, they connect machines and devices over the internet, but it’s the people, communities and society at large that benefits from connectivity. And on a deeper level, we are all connected. I don’t think it’s by accident that they chose this motto. You can see by their actions like supporting Humanitas and their work in rural areas that doing their bit to make the world a better place is all part of the days work. And, I want to be associated with an ISP like that, rather than a faceless conglomerate.
Addition- Chris tells us the story behind his new artwork: The Crossroads
The artwork depicts Robert Johnson, a famous Mississippi blues musician in the 1930s. There are only three photos of him in existence. He was out of work. He had a guitar that he couldn’t even tune. So he left town. Hit the road. Some say, one dark night, at a crossroads way out of town, he met and cut a deal with the devil. The next that’s known about him, he returned, could play like a demon, sing beautifully and write incredible songs. He died when he was 27.
For more information on Chris or to contact him directly email skweek@lucas-software.co.uk
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