Thomas Ascott 'Bear Sitting' Print Available

Artist: Thomas Ascott
Title: Bear Sitting
Medium: Giclee Print
Size: 16 x 20 Inches
Edition: 20
Prices: $70

 

Thomas Ascott is an American painter and illustrator whose work invites viewers into a meticulously crafted world of whimsical melancholy. Based in Tennessee, he has developed a signature aesthetic that blends the charm of vintage storybook illustrations with the unsettling undertones of a dark fairy tale. His paintings typically feature wide-eyed, enigmatic characters, often children or anthropomorphic creatures, navigating overgrown landscapes or quiet, ethereal voids. These subjects frequently appear accompanied by peculiar companions, such as oversized insects, spectral animals, or mechanical curiosities, suggesting a narrative that is both ancient and surreal.

The technical proficiency of Ascott is evident in his masterful use of texture and light. Working primarily with oil or acrylic on wood panels, he utilizes a muted, earthy color palette dominated by mossy greens, deep ochres, and weathered sepias. This choice of materials and tones gives his pieces an aged, heirloom quality, as if they were artifacts recovered from a forgotten attic. His brushwork is deliberate, focusing on the soft diffusion of light to create a dreamlike atmosphere that feels heavy with unspoken history.

Beyond the visual appeal, Ascott’s art explores themes of loneliness, curiosity, and the delicate intersection between the natural world and the supernatural. There is a profound sense of stillness in his compositions, capturing a fleeting moment of contemplation or discovery. By balancing the grotesque with the beautiful, he challenges the audience to find comfort in the strange. His contributions to the contemporary pop-surrealism movement remain significant, offering a uniquely gentle approach to the bizarre.