Sister Thoma Swanson
Dominican, 20th Century
Locust Trees, July, 1973
oil on canvas
A beautiful early spring scene of a grove of pod-bearing North American locust trees and their surrounding tall green grasses. The bare trunks and branches of these pliant willowy trees are painted in nuanced purplish and brownish hues before a warm yellow sun and its huge glow that stretches across the large canvas. This joyous painting was created by Sister Thoma Swanson, a Dominican Sister of Peace, who has devoted her life to preaching the gospel through her artwork; her message is: "Art is a rejoicing in the beauty of the world. Without it, our lives are very empty and cold and boring." For more information on her and the broader Dominican art mission, see: www.diartsop.org. Sister Thoma was also the recipient of her order's highest recognition for her work: the Fra Angelico Award--named after the famous Dominican preacher and painter from Renaissance-era Florence.

signed, titled, and dated on the reverse, gilt-framed.
66 x 78 inches