Alma Woodsey Thomas, Afro American, 1891 to 1978, watercolor painting on paper depicting an abstract optical composition, 1969. Signed and dated, lower right. Framed. Alma Thomas is known for Non objective-optical imagery painting, teaching. She is well known for her exuberantly colorful canvases filled with abstract shapes and patterns.Her work reflects a long study of color theory, watercolor, and abstraction, and even exploration of costume and marionette design. Thomas's early art was realistic, but while at Howard University she became fascinated by abstraction, based on the influence of her professors Lois Mailou Jones and James V. Herring. When she was invited to exhibit her art at Howard in 1966, at age 75, Thomas decided to experiment with a new approach, the type of painting for which she is best known today: large canvases filled with dense, irregular patterns made by brushes heavily laden with bright colors. She found inspiration in trees and flowers around her, often as seen from the windows of her Washington D.C home, as they flickered in changing light. She also liked to imagine seeing natural forms and patterns from a plane, and was fascinated by exploration of outer space. Her works from the 1970s include titles such as Launch Pad and Blast Off. In 2009, two paintings by Alma Thomas were selected by First Lady Michelle Obama for the White House. One of a kind artwork.