Elevations #23

To purchase this item framed, please add both the print and the framing option from the drop down menu. The artist has chosen custom hand built Black Ash Floating Frames for the series Elevations. With this option, the print comes face mounted behind Museum Grade non-glare 1/8" plexi, with a backing of 3/16" plexi. The frame face measures 1/2" by 2" deep with the art floating 3/8" from the frame edge, creating a clean look that focuses on the art yet finishes and protects the piece. The frame adds 7/8” to each side of the piece. Please feel free to email the studio with any questions.

Thomas Card resurrects the beauty within the everyday in his highly acclaimed portrait series Elevations. Elevations transform the lowly New York City pigeon into a symbol of hope, grandeur, and power. Often a reminder of the city’s grimy environment or even the neglectful nature of humanity, these birds take on regal stature in Card’s images. Carefully framed faces, wings outstretched, and even taking to flight, each bird encompasses an aura of undeniable significance. Channeling the historical lineage of portraiture, he engages a set of iconography that aggrandize each bird. The inherent nobility is intensified by the photograph's final production. Deliberately composed with their final presentation in mind, Card exhibits these works on a monumentally large scale. Now a dominating force before our eyes we are incapable of ignoring their excellence.

 

Immersed in the power of their presence, viewers are entranced by the otherworldly scenes Card constructs. What were once simple scenes are now ethereal investigations through bold visceral palettes, reminiscent of those used by artists like Francis Bacon. A manipulation of color theory that has permeated the lineage of painting, is explored through photographic means. Masterfully blending colors so they coalesce into harmonious and uplifting balances are juxtaposed with the stark contrasts of color that vibrate and add new tension that enthralls his viewers, demonstrating the turmoil and struggle of reaching new heights. His keen eye allows him to capture his background so the subtleties of texture are illuminated. They become scenes that embody the intricacies of light that add new depth to the viewer’s perception of the humble pigeon and their existence in the everyday.

 

Within the realm of Elevations, the iconic New York dream is realized. A story of humble beginnings becomes one of the underdogs claiming their rightful status and power. In a balance of vivacious energy and soothing tranquility, Card reveals the unseen story of the pigeon to uplift and enchant his viewers.

Thomas C. Card is an American artist based in New York. Card has always seen the world through the lens of art, questioning how to elevate the most simple and mundane aspects of life into their most aspirational state. And similarly, how to make the most fanciful and whimsical elements communicate their most profound meaning. Underlying Card’s work you will find mathematical formulas and symbolism that draw on scientific theories and art history alike.

 

Born in Johnson City, Tennessee and raised in Decatur, Illinois, Card rose out of the rough and tumble industrial environment through his achievements in art. Card’s work gained national attention even before graduating from high school, landing him a scholarship to the School of Art at Washington University in St. Louis. Within a short time after graduation, Card had already developed a reputation as a master printer working for top photographers in New York City. By the age of 23, his own work was published in international magazines.

 

Card’s large-scale landscape photographic collages, entitled “Alone Together,” form the central focus of his most theoretical work. With this work, Card uses the single image as a mark playing with repetition, sequencing, context, and tonal values to create complex layers of coded meaning. By repeating the print images in collage form, the role of the singular image changes, no longer solely functioning as an isolated representation but rather a part of a larger meaning. The image continues to convey a singular meaning, but enhanced by a contextual meaning, further enhanced through sequencing and finally through repetition. The form and pattern emerge with balance and assigned values, all referencing historical norms, while playing with new context and symbols.

 

Card’s first book and multi-media show, “Tokyo Adorned,” explores the expression of individuality and self through intimate studio portraits of Tokyo’s fashion tribe members. Work from this sold-out book has been seen in multiple shows across the country. Tokyo Adorned received high praise from major media outlets, and Card was interviewed repeatedly regarding his process and experiences surrounding the book and the show.

 

Card has been featured in numerous international publications including American, German and French Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, the London Sunday Times, Vogue Gioiello and the New York Times Magazine. His sense of beauty, wit, and whimsy permeates his style of storytelling and can been seen in his collaboration on numerous advertising campaigns including Gucci, Ferragamo, Issey Miyake, Baume & Mercier, Marc Jacobs, Apple and more.