Bill Thompson’s aquiline sculptures are meticulously executed: simple abstract shapes carved in rigid polyurethane foam coated and recoated with resin, sanded until pristine, then painted monochromatically in various shiny colors. This painstaking craftsmanship also carries over into elements never seen by viewers, including the belabored hanging mechanisms mounting the pieces to the wall and the custom transport/storage boxes made for each individual work. All of these elements—seen and unseen—reflect Thompson’s obsessive manner and cobbler-like approach to making things by hand, and making them well. To this commitment, he adds a visionary sensibility. His old-school respect for materials and the pleasure that he takes in patient handicraft might seem at odds with his futuristic vision, yet his work represents a seamless coupling of inspiration and perspiration, to the benefit of viewers. …see the entire article in the print version of June’s Sculpture magazine.
