Thomas won the first place prize "The Best Paintings of 2000" competition, sponsored by The Artist's Magazine, the winning painting was selected from among 13,800 entries. Her career has been featured in American Artist magazine (Nov. 1996), The Artist's Magazine (April 1997), International Artist magazine (January 1999), in the books; The Best of Portrait Painting by North Light Books and in Portrait Highlights published by Watson-Gupthill.
Thomas has completed portrait commissions for leaders of business, government, academia and finance. In 2001, she was commissioned to paint the official portrait of the Secretary of the U.S. Navy, Richard Danzig, for the Pentagon. In 2004, she traveled to New York City to paint New York Jets owner, Robert Wood Johnson, philanthropist and heir to Johnson & Johnson pharmaceuticals. Joy Thomas recently completed the official portrait of the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard; it was unveiled in 2006 in Washington D.C.
A fine arts major in college at Murray State University, she continued her training at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Connecticut, The Loveland Academy of Fine Arts in Colorado and the Fechin Institute of New Mexico. Thomas received merit scholarships from the Pastel Society of America and the Scottsdale Gallery Association to study at the Woodstock School of Art in New York and the Scottsdale Artist's School in Arizona.
Ms. Thomas lives in Murray with her husband, Fredrick Thomas. Fred Thomas designs and creates hand carved museum quality frames, specializing in gold and silver leafing.
