Artist Statement

I was always an artist. Even when I felt surrounded by chaos and unwelcomed in the world, I was an artist. I was an artist as a child when I couldn’t write my name, but I could paint it. I was an artist in elementary school when I was scared of the people around me but still put effort into every assignment. When I doubted my artwork was any good because I thought the other kids were better, I was still an artist. I was an artist when none of my paintings or drawings made it to the refrigerator. I was an artist when I dreamed at night and couldn’t make sense of the images. I was an artist when I denied myself choosing art because in my family that lifestyle does not exist. As I kept quiet as a child and teenager wondering what I needed to release all this rage because I was not good at math, so I thought my future was history, I was still an artist. I was an artist when I drifted from school to career, from school to career, and on repeat until I realized—finally–that I truly have a gift. 

The universe has blessed me with the spirit and talent of an artist. I know this because I never stopped believing it. In moments of extreme sadness, I have always turned to art. As a child, I drew pictures in homeless shelters. During the pandemic when I felt lost, I learned how to connect with my artist self again. I picked up a paint brush and embarked on a journey with a skill I forgot I had.  And now, as a Black American woman and military veteran who knows her talent as a painter, a writer, and actress, I can only say that I. Am. An. Artist. 

My work is emotional, intuitive, transformative, and layered— just like my life and how I approach all of my artistic endeavors. My art is deep. It is truth. I use tools such as acrylic paint, oil pastels, modeling paste, stage blood, glitter, screws and whatever else necessary to achieve what my soul wants to convey.

Bio

Denycia Thompson is a Brooklyn-born visual artist working primarily in abstract painting and mixed media. Drawing inspiration from genres like surrealism, cubism, traditional realism, and Japanese Ukiyo-e, her work weaves together narrative, emotion, and the unseen. Much of her art is influenced by lived experience and the many mediums she consumes—film, literature, animation, performance, and beyond.

Her paintings explore themes of ritual, mythology, religion, dystopia, and storytelling. Often depicting layered, symbolic scenes, her pieces evoke the feeling of witnessing a fragmented dream or a sacred memory. Denycia’s creative process is intuitive and expressive—she paints with freedom, allowing meaning to surface after the work is complete.

In addition to her visual art practice, Denycia is a screenwriter, comic book author, and Off-Broadway actress. Though new to the gallery world, her voice is confident and ever evolving.