John Paul Thomas, the Kona artist best known for his series of paintings called "Boy with Goldfish," died Wednesday at Tripler Army Medical Center. He was 74. ‘Boy with Goldfish’ paintings
were Thomas’ homage
to Renaissance artJOHN PAUL THOMAS / 1927-2001
OBITUARIES
By Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.comBorn in Bessemer, Ala., in 1927, Thomas suffered a disabling wound during World War II service in Europe, said musician Jerre Tanner, Thomas' companion and artistic collaborator for 40 years.
After the war, Thomas considered a career in architecture but decided it would be too physically demanding considering his disability, so he turned to painting, Tanner said.
He studied the works of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, received a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University and studied in Europe for a year. While there, Thomas studied the way Renaissance artists, especially the Dutch artist Vermeer, placed their subjects in geometrically defined spaces, Tanner said.
On coming to Hawaii in 1965, Thomas saw how tropical vegetation lent itself to portrayal as a geometric setting for his subjects, such as the "Boy with Goldfish."
Thomas, Tanner and musicians Leon Siu and Maria Elliott collaborated on a 1976 adaptation of "Boy with Goldfish" to music.
Just as Thomas let geometry surround the boy, Tanner wrote the music so that there was one focus with music surrounding it, he said.
Thomas is survived by a brother, Charles, and a sister, Mae Tucker, both of Alabama.
Funeral arrangements are pending, but Thomas' remains will be cremated and buried at the Kona Veterans Cemetery.