JT Thompson

American Painter | Architectural Surrealism & Geometric Abstraction

JT Thompson is a contemporary American painter based in Columbus, Ohio, and the creator of the Labyrinth Series. His paintings explore memory, perception, and personal transformation through imagined architectural spaces.

Thompson studied at the Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) in Columbus, Ohio, in the early 1990s. Drawing inspiration from architecture, psychology, and symbolic storytelling, he creates compositions that combine precise geometry with emotional depth. During the pandemic, he served as President of the Ohio Art League.

Artistic Approach

Thompson works in oil on canvas, combining layered color, fine lines, and shifting perspectives. Staircases, corridors, doorways, and intersecting planes form spaces that challenge familiar architectural logic.

In the Labyrinth Series, these elements become metaphors for life’s journey: choices, obstacles, discoveries, and change. Small human figures connect the architecture with inner experience. Each painting reveals new details and visual relationships through repeated viewing.

Collections

His work is held in public, private, and corporate collections, including:

• Columbus Museum of Art — Columbus, Ohio
• Chicago Shakespeare Theater — Chicago, Illinois
• Linden Library — Columbus, Ohio
• Downtown Hilton and Hilton Tower — Columbus, Ohio
• Greater Columbus Convention Center — Columbus, Ohio
• Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University — Highland Heights, Kentucky

His portfolio also includes a 12 × 25 ft mosaic mural.

Awards & Recognition

• 2023 — Individual Excellence Award, Ohio Arts Council.
• 2025, 2019, 2018, and 2016 — support through the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Artists in the Community program.
• 2019 — Marketing Support, Greater Columbus Arts Council.
• 2016 — selected artist for the Baltimore LED Art Billboard project.

Press

Thompson’s work has been featured in publications and interviews by Showcase My Art (2025), ArtAscent (2019), Creative Digest (2018), The Woven Tale Press (2017–2018), Creative Boom, On Art & Aesthetics, Professional Artist Magazine, and Niji Magazine (2017).

His exhibitions have also received coverage in Columbus Alive and Dayton City Paper.

Art in the Interior

Thompson’s paintings bring architectural rhythm, depth, and expressive color to contemporary interiors. Their geometric compositions complement clean furniture lines, wood, glass, and metal.

Blue and turquoise works create a cool focal point, green compositions complement natural tones, and red and coral paintings introduce warmth. Vertical canvases suit narrow wall sections and entryways, while square and wider compositions can anchor a living room, office, or lounge.