Maplewood artists wins fellowship from state

Nette Forné Thomas of Maplewood recently received a 2026 Individual Artist Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

She was among 870 eligible applicants and was awarded the Fellowship in recognition of her outstanding work and with the intent that it will assist her in furthering her artistic goals.

“The whole idea is to give the artist the money so they can do their work and concentrate on their work,” she said.

Thomas said she had been applying for the Fellowship for more than 20 years. She said she read her name and couldn’t believe it.

Her journey in art began when she was very small. Thomas said she’d go outside and draw pictures in the sandbox.

“I was recognized as having artistic ability in elementary school,” she said. “I grew up in Belleville. At that time there may have been under 10 Black families in the Italian section. From kindergarten to Montclair State University, I was the only Black student in every one of my classes. By having the artistic ability, I always had friends. I would draw pictures. Comic books were very popular. I would draw characters from comic books. I never was isolated because of the artistic accomplishments.”

Thomas works in mixed media and is very intrigued with painting the human anatomy.

“It was always thought to be so complicated,” she said.

While at Pratt Institute, Thomas drew live nude humans.

“I liked the challenge of making the human figure,” she said. “Not always nude. There were so many exhibits that wouldn’t accept nude paintings at the time.”

Early on, Thomas did female figures for a show she was going to have at Jersey City Library.

“When I got the printout, they looked like lace,” said. “That intrigued me to make images to look like lace forms in my work. Doing the figures and enhancing them in the lace designs. If people see my work, they usually can recognize it because I use the lace in my work. Not real lace. I paint it to look like lace. After I have the painting, I put Plexiglas on top. Use little needles, scratch and dig into the Plexiglas to get the appearance of lace. That is what distinguishes it from a regular painting.”

Thomas is also a curator at 1978 Maplewood Arts Center.

“I started curating the Black History shows, bringing well known Black artists in a small gallery where they would not be showing,” she said. “I know people who have grown up in the arts like I have. I can reach out and have them do Black History Month.”

The artist has lived in Maplewood for more than 50 years. She said, “How come I didn’t move? There’s no reason to leave. When I got here 50 years ago, I immediately connected with an art teacher putting on exhibits. I got involved with the Arts Center when that was just starting. Everything came together, the arts and atmosphere. The whole community was so welcoming.”

For those who think they may like to have a career in art, Thomas advises finding what you really enjoy doing and keep doing it. She said, “Make it known and seen on the local level. Look into the state competition. Keep on doing what you do.”

To learn more about Nette Forné Thomas, visit: http://www.nettefornethomas.com/