The Oxford Arts Alliance in PA is adding a new piece to its galleries this spring.
It’s a three panel room divider made of glass and “found objects” by Newark artist Trebs Thompson that reflects Thompson’s battle with a rare eye disease that is causing her to slowly lose her sight.
“About six years ago I noticed that I was having trouble seeing and reading," Thompson said. "It took me about a year to drag myself in for an eye doctor's appointment. And the conclusion was that I had lost a lot of vision. So then I saw a retina specialist and after a day’s testing they were able to tell me that I had something called parafoveal macular telangiectasia (MacTel).”
Each panel of the piece has a different name representing Thompsons' journey of still pursuing art while she continues to lose her sight.
“So the piece I’m working on now actually re-embodies some smaller pieces that I did first, investigating this concept," Thompson said. "And in fact I dismantled some of those works and incorporated them into this piece that I’m working on now. So I just finished the third piece.”
Thompson says the room divider’s first panel is all textured clear glass and is entitled Losing Sight. The second panel - Taking Flight - starts clear on the left and moves to a yellow/gray-like hue on the right. The third panel - Going Dark - is gray with black blotches.
Trebs Thompson has a Facebook page which can be accessed here for more information about her and her art.
Thompson also owns 15-acre farm called Whimsical Farms in Newark.
Delaware Public Media' s arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
