A Little Splash, a Whole Lotta Joy
I have never bothered painting the ugly things in life. I leave the dirty dishes to someone else. - Alma Thomas
Welcome to this week’s She Made That 🖌️ A weekly short art story from my self-taught rabbit hole of inspiring women.
Alma Thomas. She’s in her studio, wearing a white dress patterned with bold, geometric squares, painting with quiet intensity. She doesn’t look up—she’s already deep in conversation with the canvas, speaking volumes with colors and shapes.
Alma was in her 70s when she fully devoted herself to painting, after decades of teaching art to kids in D.C. public schools (that alone deserves a standing ovation), but she wasn’t finished. Not even close. At 81, she became the first Black woman to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum.
Eighty. One.
Her abstract works radiate joy—cascades of color that feel like sunlight filtered through a kaleidoscope. People tried to pin her into boxes—Black artist, woman artist, painter of the civil rights era—but Alma was too bold for labels. She said her work wasn’t about protest or politics; it was about possibility. It was about the world she chose to see.
She painted with deliberate optimism. Circles of sky. Dappled gardens. A comet streaking through the cosmos. In the middle of social upheaval, she chose to focus on color and light—not to escape, but to offer a kind of visual healing.
I think about that when I get tangled in doubt—when I feel pressure to make my work “about something,” to justify its worth. Alma reminds me that making beauty is a form of resistance, too.
And that joy is serious business.
And that it’s never too late.
To start.
To be seen.
To leave your brightest mark.
Want to see what I’ve been up to? Have a look at some of my art here:
https://www.anniewood.com/artistanniewood
Feel free to reach out if you have any Qs.
Yes! love this
earlier this week, i saw an artist on threads recount an experience at a market, where some teenagers asked her ”aren’t you too old to be still trying?” learning about alma through this post reminded me of that. of course the answer is no, it’s not too late while you’re still breathing, and her story just drives that point home even more. you have time to create good work. i love the choice to focus on joy, as well. when the world doesn’t freely give it, we make it ourselves.