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primary colors that seem to be generated from beyond the picture plane, dancing into the third dimension. The regenerative powers of Spring Fantasy reveals a fine distinction in the subtlety and complexity of variation. Although the muted colors in the painting lack the drama and passion characteristic of later works, Spring Fantasy recites the transcendent wonders of nature with the sophisticated manipulation of black, gray and varied pastel tones. Watercolors, with its fluidity, gave Thomas the freedom of expression which allowed her to replace oils with acrylics -- to seek a more ambitious representation of color that she observed in nature. By the mid - to late 1960s, Thomas's artistry evolved into a structured system of color applications manifested in stripes and circles, a fresh new direction for the remainder of her career. But the formative years spent at her Grandfather Cantey's plantation where nature made an indelible mark, and the gardens cultivated by her parents in their Washington residence, were the germinal seeds that decade later, through her paintings, would add a distinct and colorific voice to American art. Alma Thomas had come full circle in the recognition that nature, and its inherent beauty, was an important factor in her life and hence the crucible in her artistry. Tritobia Hayes Benjamin, Ph.D. Washington, D.C. 27