Storm watch

As a painter and writer of prodigious talent and visionary sensibility, Barbara Earl Thomas continues to spark increasing attention both regionally and nationally. The granddaughter of southern sharecroppers who migrated to Seattle in the middle 1940s, Thomas expresses in her art a dual heritage, translating her own vision of southern roots and culture into a northwestern landscape.

In her paintings, Thomas incorporates themes of people and their rituals with the land, weaving images around the metaphor of place as both a geographical and spiritual location. Her essay, "Passing Secrets," not only offers a perceptive sketch of the attitudes of black immigrants to the Northwest but also provides a personal insight into her technical and philosophical approach.

Because her use of imagery is highly symbolic, Storm Watch has an appeal that crosses the boundaries of artistic media - of painting and writing - and transcends regional locale.