By utilizing various stylistic elements that evoke feelings in people, Alma Thomas creates a painting that is not only pleasing to the eye, but also to the soul. The painting, "New Galaxy," was done in 1970 with acrylic paint. Thomas painted "New Galaxy" on a 54 x 54-inch canvas. Through the use of a monochromatic blue color scheme, vertical lines, and impressionistic brush strokes, Alma Thomas conveys feelings of calmness, strength, and renewal in the painting.
             The first element in the painting that caught my eye was the mostly monochromatic color of the paint. Although a very small portion of the left side of the painting is painted with light pinks and whites, the vast majority of New Galaxy is painted in about three different blues. After contemplating the title of the painting, I figured that the artist used the small light pink and white part of the painting to represent the old part of an ancient galaxy. The bright blue portion of the painting represents calmness and confidence in the New Galaxy. The artist juxtaposed the small portion of light pink and white and the much larger portion of blues to emphasize the change from feelings of confusion to feelings of tranquility. The color blue resembles water. Water is usually calm and the sound of water flowing is very soothing to the ear. The calm and soothing characteristics of water are clearly presented with Thomas' use of a monochromatic blue color scheme in her painting.
             The painting itself is expressed in a number of tiny vertical lines. The lines are carefully placed very close together, both side-by-side and on top of one another. Not only does the use of vertical lines provoke feelings of strength, they also convey feelings of stability. When I looked at New Galaxy, the plethora of vertical lines overwhelmed me with feelings that the fresh galaxy was going to outlast the old one, surpass the old galaxy in greatness, and last forever. Thomas made the l...