The Lyons Share Gallery in Fairhope is pleased to present the oil paintings of William D. Thompson during First Friday Art Walk, June 1.

Thompson has been exhibiting dynamic oil paintings since 1995 when he entered the Eastern Shore Art Association’s Members Open competition and won Best of Show. That same year his work was purchased by the Mobile Museum of Art for their permanent collection.

Thompson’s paintings echo his inner feelings, capturing the extraordinary qualities, poetry and rhythms of everyday life through the use of composition, form and color.

Rich, juicy and thick oil paint is applied with palette knife, brush and fingers to create complex three-dimensional textures, which work to describe the form and to isolate it from its ordinary existence, elevating the subject to a higher level.

A native of Alabama, Thompson received an engineering degree with electives in art from the University of Alabama at Huntsville. After finding continued success in the fine arts, he followed his heart and left behind a career in aerospace engineering to pursue painting.

Thompson works from a studio in his home on Mobile Bay. His paintings have won numerous awards, and he was selected for the U.S. Department of State Art in Embassies program; a program designed to blend art and diplomacy. His work has also been chosen twice for the Alabama State’s Choice Award.

For more information about this special gallery event, contact The Lyons Share Gallery at 928-2507. The Lyons Share is located at 330 De La Mare Ave. in Fairhope.