Making the Cut 2

Recent Works on Paper by Waz Thomas

Curated by Jess Shaefer

in Gallery Commonweal July 28 through September 19

Reception: September 14 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm

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Commonweal Gallery is honored to present Making the Cut 2, an exhibition of works on paper created between 2022 and 2025 by Bolinas-based artist and Commonweal community anchor Waz Thomas.

Making the Cut 2 is the second exhibition of what the artist calls his “ironic juxtapositions,” or “Wazzies”: original composites of found imagery sourced from a wide variety of printed matter, including scientific tomes cataloguing electron microscope photographs of cells; coffee table art books showcasing installations of realist sculptures in vast warehouses; vintage travel guides of the Far East and beyond; aerial photographs of arid deserts and the twisting freeways of global metropolises; gay erotica and ephemera from the Castro in San Francisco, where Waz’s longtime partner Victor lives; old calendars featuring springtime meadows, snow-sunk forests, and shimmering Alpine lakes; historical compendiums of religious iconography, particularly of Buddha statues… Depending on the quantity of fragments he assembles in a single piece, Waz refers to his works as “two-fers, three-fers, and four-fers”––with the occasional “five-fer” emerging when a particularly rich trove of complimentary scraps demand coalescence.

For many years, Waz has retreated to a green-painted room in his cottage dedicated to his creative ritual, working from late night into the early hours of the morning, ensconced in his task as the world slumbers. He searches through piles of books and magazines and pamphlets as well as boxes of pre-selected and cut images––some have been sitting in his studio for years, waiting for the right moment to resurface as part of the artist’s latest vision. Waz often listens to music across a wide variety of genres on a portable radio while making his cuts. His art is made spontaneously, with a conscious surrender to chance.  

Waz is a prolific creator who often makes several pieces in a night. The works on view in Making the Cut 2 represent only a small percentage of the most recent additions to his oeuvre. The book Making the Cut, newly published and featuring selected works from the first exhibition alongside essays by Commonweal founder Michael Lerner and curator Jessica Shaefer, will be available for purchase.

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About the Artist

Waz Thomas was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1943 and lived and worked in Cleveland before moving to San Francisco in 1977. While living and teaching at the Integral Yoga Institute, Waz met Michael Lerner, who, in 1984, invited him to move to Bolinas to be part of Commonweal. For 25 years, Waz acted as general manager for the organization; he is also a co-founder of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, taught yoga for many years to its participants, and currently serves as its intake coordinator and senior advisor. Michael Lerner calls him the “heart” of Commonweal.

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