TAKE ME TO ARCHIVE
HENRY THOMPSON
Henry Thompson is an oil painter based in Toronto, originally from New Zealand. Working en plein air and in from his studio, Thompson focuses on capturing the charm of Southern Ontario's nature and architecture.
The artworks featured here are a part of a series that explores Thompson’s usual subject matter with low-resolution 2013 GoPro footage. The resulting video is blurry, flat, and suffers from intense lens distortion. By scrubbing through the footage and screenshotting anything with an interesting composition, Thomoson creates reference images that feel strangely detached from reality.
‘Translating these screenshots into oil on toned masonite panels and canvas (inspired by historical Canadian landscape painting) lets me connect past and present in a way that feels nostalgic and true to my process. Working with source material lacking colour, value, and detail, Thompson invents shadows, simplifies forms, and emphasizes the quirks of lens distortion instead of focusing on literal subject matter.’
‘The resulting landscapes become reflections on perception and my subconscious decisions as I reimagine my footage trusting a technique that I've honed over the past few years.’
For more information on Henry’s work, visit his website here.
1. ROAD TO ELMVALE [2025] Oil on panel, 8” x 10”
2. WICKER STORE [2025] Oil on panel, 8” x 10”
3. UXBRIDGE TRUCK [2025] Oil on panel, 8” x 10”
4. STERLING CHAIRS [2025] Oil on panel, 8” x 10”
5. ROMCESVALLES SNOW [2025] Oil on panel, 8” x 10”
6. UXBRIDGE FORKLIFT [2025] Oil on panel, 8” x 10”