Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs is a contemporary sacred artist in the perennial tradition of Western sacred art. She is dedicated in particular to reviving techniques from the Renaissance and Baroque eras to reveal the glory of God in the midst of today’s crises. Her art decorates churches, schools, and private homes throughout the Americas and Europe. In 2017 she was asked to create a painting for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
During high school, Gwyneth studied under Tony Ortega at the Art Students League of Denver. She went on to earn a BFA at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. Gwyneth also holds advanced degrees in Physics and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. She taught college-level math for eight years, including two at the Colorado School of Mines, while continuing to study drawing and painting independently.
In 2014, Gwyneth moved to New England to study the Boston School technique under Paul Ingbretson, and began to dedicate herself full-time to art and design. She was Visiting Fellow and Artist-in-Residence at The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH, where she and her husband developed a year-long core course in the perception, practice, and theory of sacred art.
Gwyneth lives in St. Louis with her husband, Andrew, and their three children.
Education
| 2015-2016 | Copied works from the Baroque collections, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
| 2013-2015 | Paul Ingbretson Studio of Painting and Drawing, Manchester, NH |
| Summer 2011 | Way of Beauty Naturalistic Drawing Program, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Merrimack, NH |
| 2007-2009 | Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Lakewood, CO |
| 2005 | Master of Science, Engineering Systems – Mechanical Specialty, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO |
| 2004 | Bachelor of Science, Engineering Physics, McBride Honors Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO |
| 1998-2003 | Art Students League of Denver, Drawing and Painting courses |
Selected Exhibitions & Awards
| 2020 | Sacred Art Competition and Exhibition, Curated by Denis McNamara, Catholic Art Institute, Chicago Madonna of the Crown of Roses awarded Honorable Mention |
| 2018 | Art in the Age of Anxiety, Juried Exhibition, Arts Guild of Sonoma, CA Spoils of War awarded Honorable Mention |
| 2016 | Men of God, Women of the World, Solo Exhibition at 2nd Annual Guild Night, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Nashua, NH |
| 2015 | 1st Annual Guild Night, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Nashua, NH |
| 2014 | Contemporary Sacred Art Biennial, Juried Exhibition, Jubilee Museum, Columbus, OH Before the Sacrifice purchased for the museum’s permanent collection |
| 2014 | 5th Nationwide Juried Catholic Arts Exhibition, St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA St. Catherine of Siena named 2nd Prize winner |
Selected Commissions
| 2021 | St. Gerard Majella, private collection, St. Louis, MO |
| 2020 | St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, Benedictine monastery, Italy |
| 2020 | Ascension, Ascension Parish, Chesterfield, MO |
| 2019 | St. Hugh of Lincoln, private collection, Pittsburgh, PA |
| 2019 | Pietà, private collection, Suffolk, England |
| 2018 | St. John Fisher, Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, Jasper, GA |
| 2018 | Holy Family with St. John the Baptist after Perino del Vaga, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, Lake Arthur, LA |
| 2018 | Sanctuary Angels, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, Lake Charles, LA |
| 2018 | Portrait of Venerable Patrick Peyton, Family Theater Productions, Hollywood, CA |
| 2017 | St. Augustine, commissioned as a gift for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI |
| 2017 | Stations of the Cross, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, Lake Charles, LA |
| 2016 | Portrait of Franc Cardinal Rodé, private collection, Belgium |
| 2015 | Christ with a Goldfinch, Catholic Digest Magazine, New London, CT |
| 2012 | Portrait of Blessed John Henry Newman, commissioned as a gift for Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, NE |
| 2012 | Coat of Arms of Archbishop Aquila, commissioned as a gift for Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver, CO |
| 2010 | Mural for the Writing Center, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO |
| 2006 | St. Paul, mural for the Villa Caritas, Lima, Peru |
| 2006 | Mural for the Maison Française, Alliance Française de Denver, CO |
Cover Art
| 2014 | “St. Catherine of Siena,” Catholic Insight Magazine, July/August 2014 |
| 2014 | “St. Robert Southwell,” commissioned by Joseph Pearce for St. Austin Review, Vol. 14, No. 4, July/August 2014 |
| 2012 | “Blessed Beatrice of Nazareth,” Dappled Things, Vol. 7, Issue 4, Mary Queen of Angels, 2012 |
Publications as Author
| 2020 | “The Ascension: A Visual Meditation,” Saint Austin Review, Vol. 20, No.6, November/December |
| 2020 | “Depicting Creation Perfected by Grace,” Saint Austin Review, Vol. 20, No.1, January/February |
| 2013 | “From Dark to Light: The Art of Ariel Agemian,” Latin Mass Magazine, Summer |
| 2012 | “The Interior Life of Statues,” Latin Mass Magazine, Vol. 21, Issue 3, Fall |