In celebration of another exquisite Carthage spring emerging all around us and for your viewing pleasure, very soon Hyde House with be filled with the color and vitality of RHYTHMS & THREADS, as artCentral welcomes artists Clint and Mary Thornton of Jay, Oklahoma.
What an extraordinary privilege to have the works of these accomplished artists gracing the gallery walls downstairs and upstairs. Graciously underwritten by SCHMIDT CPAS & Advisors, the mixed media exhibition RHYTHMS & THREADS will be on view April 7-May 13, 2023. The Opening Reception takes place Friday, April 7, a6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at Hyde House, 1110 East Thirteenth in Carthage. The public is invited. Admission is free. Donations are welcome.
The Thorntons bring years of dedication to exhibiting their original compositions made with paints and fibers. The vibrant creations in this collection reflect their artistic call and response conversations inspired by music—music that dances through the strokes of Clint’s brushes and the stitches of Mary’s needles.
The artists tell us, “Being intrigued and fascinated by the talent of musical artists and life around us, we have devoted most of our artistic efforts relating to those gifted individuals that have made such an impression on us. Even though we work in different media, we share our thoughts and motivations, critiques and agreements on our projects. After fifty-five years of marriage, our work has much in common.”
With a BA in Art Education, Clint Thornton taught public school art before serving two tours in Viet Nam on the U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition team. Honorably discharged as a Lieutenant, he received his MFA with an emphasis on Ceramic Art which he then taught at the University of New Hampshire. Purchasing a home and studio in Jay, Oklahoma, he taught 3-D Arts at the Johnson County Community College in Kansas City, Kansas, and at Friends University, Wichita, Kansas, and produced handmade pottery at the Oakstone Pottery, Jay, Oklahoma. With his hands damaged by many years of throwing pottery, Clint returned to painting in 2016 and has since received awards in Joplin, Carthage and Neosho, Missouri. Today his works are in both private and permanent collections.
Honored with awards in weaving, art jewelry and art quilts, Mary Thornton manipulates fibers into unique forms whenever possible—whether by weaving, needle work or using cloth which she hand dyes or purchases. With a BA in Art, a BS in Art Education and Elementary Middle School Education and a MA in Counseling and Psychometry (also known as token-object reading, or psychoscopy—a form of extrasensory perception characterized by the claimed ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching their inanimate objects). Mary has been an Art and Gifted Education teacher, served as a school counselor and taught weaving in the University of New Hampshire extension courses. Always and still, woven into Mary’s soul is the intertwining of fiber and thread with an occasional inspiring ephemeral thought or sensation incorporated into the theme of her creation.
Make this spring a memorable one! Visit RHYTHMS & THREADS in artCentral’s Hyde House galleries and experience the energy and joy and inspiring beauty you are sure to find the remarkable art of Clint and Mary Thornton.
