Patricia Renee Thomas

Patricia Renee Thomas (b. 1995) is a Philadelphia-based painter, drawer, and art educator whose work questions the repercussions of hyper-visibility, camouflage, and physical safety while existing in a radicalized society. 

She has recently exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions with the Dusable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago, the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, the Colored Girls Museum in Philadelphia, PA, the Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington, DE, as well as Kravets-Wehby Gallery in Chelsea, New York, Kapp Kapp Gallery in Philadelphia, GAA Gallery in Cologne, Germany. 

Thomas was an arts educator at Church of the Advocate in North Philadelphia, a Black history and social justice community staple and is currently an oil painting, drawing, and thesis instructor at University of Pennsylvania, and is the 2024-2025 Stewart/McMillan endowed chair of painting at Maryland Institute College of Art.

“This work was made after residing in West Philly and living next to a community park, inspired by the saturated tones of late summer. Starting as a study on Light and shadow, the world evolved into an investigation of grass, repetitive mark-making, and a short narrative of a typical sunny afternoon.” -Patricia Renee Thomas

“I remember being nervous and excited when I cold-emailed Patricia about coordinating a studio visit. I was so excited to meet her. I was hoping that one of her works would be available as I thought it would fit our space perfectly! One of my favorite details about the painting is the crushed Sunkist can. It brought back so many childhood memories of summer in the city!” -Shannon