THADDEUS MOSLEY, FRANK WALTER

Sanctuary spotlights the work of two artists both born in 1926. Thaddeus Mosley, an art teacher and son of a coal miner, from New Castle, Pennsylvania is known for his outsized abstract sculpture. Frank Walter, born in the Caribbean island of Antigua and known for his paintings and wood works infused with the beauty of its land, sea and sky. Together, these artists share their vision of sanctuary, each deeply informed by their relationship to the land.

Largely self-taught, Mosley specialises in sculpting salvaged wood—fallen trees, abandoned building material, timber from Pennsylvania sawmills—into large-scale abstract forms. He finds inspiration in the art of the African diaspora, contemporary city life, nature and jazz. His influences range from Isamu Noguchi to Constantin Brâncuși to the Bamum, Dogon, Baoulé, Senufo, and the Dan of the African continent. Sanctuary features a collection of Mosley’s sculptures created during the last twenty years. Several bronze pieces will be on view outside of the Thomaston Church.

For most of the 1960’s, Frank Walter found tranquility in the wilderness of his agricultural estate known as Mount Olympus. After years of intensive labour to prepare the property for farming, Walter was shattered when the government confiscated the land. Returning to city life in St. John’s, he worked as a photographer, frame maker, and artist, but the urban conditions were at odds with his reserved personality.

In 1993, Walter designed and built a home, art studio, and garden in a remote location on Bailey’s Hill in Antigua. There he created an environment embracing the natural world, complete with staggering views of the surrounding countryside and ocean, where he pursued his dreams as an artist, poet and composer until his death in 2009. Throughout Walter’s life, art was his solace. He created more than 5,000 paintings, 1,000 drawings, 600 sculptures, 2,000 photographs, 468 hours of recordings, and a 50,000-page archive.

A church in Thomaston, Maine, is a fitting location to explore the emanations of sacred space of two kindred spirits—Thaddeus Mosley and Frank Walter.

—Brenda Jones, Barbara Paca, and La Fleur Paysour

The Sanctuary exhibition will be accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue with newly commissioned essays by Brenda Jones, Barbara Paca, and La Fleur Paysour, as well as an interview with Thaddeus Mosley and writing from the archives of Frank Walter.