As I scrolled through Instagram’s Discover page, among the smorgasbord of “content you may like,” a pair of sneakers caught my eye. These were not some run-of-the-mill Jordans or Nike Air Force Ones; the shoes were decorated with acutely-detailed paintings of squid, narwhals, brook trout, marlin, and shorebirds, often accompanied by stars and constellations. The shoes looked like they belonged on display in an art museum more than they belonged on the feet of a city slicker. But for Brooklyn-based artist Andrew Thompson, sneakers are the most logical canvas because his creative craftsmanship ties his urban lifestyle to a love for the natural world.
Thompson grew up in Brooklyn, where he had a clear view of New York Harbor from his bedroom window. As a teenager during the 1990s, when graffiti was especially popular in the NYC hip-hop community, he was interested in unorthodox art forms. He studied art at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts before it became his major at Kenyon College in Ohio. Although Thompson had no particular focus during his collegiate studies, he discovered a passion for sculpting and painting.
After college, Thompson worked in a gallery where he handled art dealing, and he even curated several shows for the well-known American artist Thomas Hart Benton. All the while, Thompson had his own studio, where he was constantly creating and experimenting with watercolor, oil, and acrylic paints during his free time.
Through some self-reflection and experimentation, Thompson came to realize that he most enjoyed painting “things” rather than painting on a standard canvas, much like those rebellious graffiti artists of the 1990s who preferred canvases in the form of trains, buildings, and overpasses. “I like painting sculpturally and I like things to move,” he said. “A changing canvas is more unique and brings life to the subject.” However, those urban surroundings were not his only influence. He also draws inspiration from early 20th century American painters like Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper, which he combined with his admiration of fish, wildlife, the ocean, and outer space.
“I really enjoy folk art, so that’s why I like woodworking and creating sculptures of fish and duck decoys,” Thompson said. Using wood in both his sculptures and as canvas came from time spent living and fishing in upstate New York.
Before he became a father, Thompson spent half of each year living in Brooklyn and the other half in the Adirondack Mountains. His family has a place on Lake George, where they now spend a portion of their summers. It’s also where he enjoys fly fishing for lake trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon when smelt are running the lake’s tributaries, bringing these sought-after salmonids into shallow water each spring. Today, he doesn’t have as much time as he’d like to visit or fish Lake George, but he recognizes the role the woods, the mountains, paddling, and fly fishing play in his creative process.
Thompson’s pieces are a unique intersection of urban graffiti, fish and wildlife, and the rustic aura of the Adirondacks, which ties in his appreciation for folk art. His paintings and sculptures simultaneously capture the cosmic energy of space and the sea by portraying fish and marine life on an active canvas, whether it’s a fresh pair of white Nikes or a set of oars for a canoe. “I aim to capture the general energy of what’s happening underwater, and the dreaminess and vastness of the ocean and space,” said Thompson. “The ocean is another world, and it’s mostly unexplored, so it might as well be cosmic.”
His work is cosmic indeed. It’s just as easy to get lost in the depth and complexity of a single fish painted over the backdrop of a constellation as it is to get lost in thought when admiring a clear, starry night sky during the summer. That’s part of what led Thompson to begin working on fish-themed globes. “The idea for globes came years ago when I was painting bait balls on gourds that were almost perfect spheres,” Thompson said. “But gourds are sort of temporary, so to further enhance that cosmic energy, I thought about other, more permanent round objects that I could paint in the same way, and globes were the next logical step.”
For now, Thompson is focused on sculpting fish to accompany his nautical, cosmic-themed globes, along with his murals, which are currently being represented by Surovek Gallery in Palm Beach, Florida. However, he continues to practice his craft through practical objects that enhance the kinetic energy he seeks to elicit with paintings of schooling fish or a mahi on the prowl. “The painted fish sneakers are a cool project, and I have a lot of fun working on them. They’re made to be dress shoes, so it’s sort of my own unique take on custom sneakerhead culture,” said Thompson.
From his annual visits to Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, to Lake George and Champlain, to the famed harbor in his own backyard, Thompson has experienced all that our Northeast fisheries have to offer. However, he doesn’t focus his artwork on the regions he fishes. Instead, he is focused on sharing the energy and mystery of what’s happening beneath the water’s surface. “To some degree, my style comes from an angling sensibility. The best fishermen are the ones who can picture what’s happening subsurface with their lure or fly, and that’s what I aim to depict.” Thompson admitted that while he admires all species of fish and enjoys variation, he’ll always have a special interest in those that remind him of the Northeast. “Last year, I had a show that was focused on south Atlantic fish, but my heart really lies with the north Atlantic species and trout,” he noted.
Today, Thompson’s artwork is displayed in private collections across the United States. His ability to create such a dynamic body of work while maintaining a familiar aesthetic, from sneakers and oars to globes and murals, is admirable. So, the next time you spot a pair of plain white kicks on the shelf or dead wall space at your uncle’s new beach house, consider the energy a little bit of paint and passion could bring to your living space, or better yet, your wardrobe.