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Lila Alexis Thomas

@soylush

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(laɪ-luh)🦋
resident artist @actualize.air
September Figure Drawing Series registration link below

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catch the final figure drawing session @actualize.air ✨ there are still some spots left, so grab your ticket while you can! for this final session, our model will be Elissa Gibson @gibsonionnn , with wardrobe provided by @apaansasa and hosted by me ~ 💫

light refreshments and drinks will be provided. come draw with us to close out the series ♡ link in bio~ by @soylush

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5 hours ago

Join us for the final two-hour figure drawing session at Actualize Gallery with artist and curator, Lila Alexis Thomas—Actualize Resident, 2026 Neddy Finalist and Artist Trust Fellowship recipient!

Designed for artists of all experience levels, these sessions offer an opportunity to strengthen observational drawing skills, experiment with mark-making, and create in a supportive community environment.

The evening will feature a live figure model. Participants are encouraged to work at their own pace, and Lila will be available to offer optional guidance, feedback, and drawing tips throughout the session.

Whether you’re building your practice, trying figure drawing for the first time, or simply looking for an inspiring midweek creative reset, we’d love to draw with you.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more and register today!

🌿🌿🌿

Actualize AiR is part of the Shunpike Storefronts & Artist Residencies Program, and is powered by Shunpike with additional support from 4Culture. by @soylush

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7 days ago

“33 inch waist, my belly piercing and red lipstick” is the title of my final line collection! its focus was creating extremely tailored woven garments for mid-size, curvier proportioned women.
If you would like to read more, check out my final line deck on my portfolio website!

team🪽
video shot and edited by @clivingstcn
audio is made by @knosubz
photos by @erinvfphotos
models: @soylush @theesunbaby @alexandra.dotson
collection by @apaansasa by @soylush

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a month ago

Art that invites you in 🎨 Take a 360-guided Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (@seaofficeofarts) tour with Lila Alexis Thomas (@soylush) as she shares the inspiration behind "This Room is Ours: Centering the Black Figure," an exhibition celebrating Black life through dignity, connection, creativity, and joy. Tap the link in our bio for the full tour. by @soylush

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2 months ago

Jungle Beats, 2026
Acrylic on Canvas
56” x 66”

“Jungle Beats is part of Lila’s ongoing dance series inspired by film photographs taken by Nala Thomas during the summer of 2024 at one of the final house parties at a friend’s home in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Lila reimagines this space and moment through digital collage, then translates it into painting, creating an immersive scene of movement, light, and collective joy. The title references jungle music, a genre that emerged from Black British culture in the early 1990s, whose fast-paced breaks and layered sound echo the energy and rhythm of the painting. Using cool-toned greens, blues, layered forms, and overlapping figures, the work evokes the closeness and movement of bodies dancing together. The painting honors the dance floor as a space of release and celebration, where Black folks are held in motion, pleasure, and connection. “

Also, we’re in the final week of This Room Is Ours: Centering the Black Figure 🌀✨

If you haven’t had a chance to visit yet, this is your last opportunity to experience the exhibition before it closes on July 18.

The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM. I’d love for you to stop by, spend some time with the work, and celebrate these incredible artists in this show! by @soylush

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2 months ago

To Ward, To Remember, 2026, 12” x 12” Acrylic on wood panel

“In this painting, Lila Alexis Thomas considers folklore as something carried through migration, memory, and ancestral protection. Coming from their Southern Louisiana lineage, Thomas looks toward the movement of Black Southerners to the Pacific Northwest and the ways stories, symbols, and spiritual traditions travel with people into new landscapes.

The work draws from Black Southern folklore surrounding haint blue, a color associated with protection and the warding off of harmful spirits. Shades of cobalt, pale blue, and haint blue create a protective atmosphere around guiding hands and a central symbol. The painting also references ironwork, gates, fences, and door grilles, forms historically shaped by Black craftspeople and builders throughout the United States. Some of these patterns echo African visual traditions, including Adinkra symbols such as Sankofa, which speaks to looking back in order to move forward.”

Come by Europa Gallery this July 2nd 6-11pm to this work in person and many others! ✨ taken in Europa Events at Court in the Square by @soylush

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3 months ago

A Love Surrounded, 2026, 48” x 68” Acrylic on Canvas

“A Love Surrounded captures an intimate moment from a birthday gathering for Lila’s friend Hannah, where their partner, Dayjha, prepared an intimate five-course dinner and invited the people who had shaped Hannah’s life. Centering two Black queer lovers, the work expands beyond romantic partnership to honor the larger circle of care, friendship, and chosen family surrounding them. Lila reflects on queer love as something communal, inventive, and sustaining: a space made through tenderness, gathering, and the people who help each other thrive”

If you want to see this piece in person stop by Arts at King Street Station Gallery !
Wednesday- Saturdays 11am-5pm ✨ by @soylush

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3 months ago

so grateful to be featured in Seattle Magazine’s Studio Sessions series ✨

in the article, i talk about my practice, curating This Room is Ours: Centering the Black Figure, and all the beautiful things unfolding this summer.
you can read the full article through the link in my bio!

i’ll be hosting a lot figure drawing opportunities this summer, including the July 11 workshop connected to the exhibition and a figure drawing series with @actualize.air, the first session is coming up soon, and registration is open now through Eventbrite.

thank you to @rachelcgallaher and @seattlemag for the thoughtful feature 🌿

article + figure drawing registration links in bio 🦋

portrait taken by @amaris_mei

#seattlemagazine #seattleart #actualizeair #artsatkingstreetstation taken in Seattle, Washington by @soylush

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3 months ago

Join us Saturday, July 11 from 12–2 PM for Expressive Figure Drawing Workshop with exhibiting artist and curator Lila Alexis Thomas.

Free and open to the public, but RSVP is required. Space is limited to 25 spots. RSVP through the link in bio. https://luma.com/a7pdxien

This open figure drawing workshop will center expressive mark-making, observation, and approaches to depicting the Black figure. Participants will have the opportunity to draw from the figure in a relaxed, supportive environment, with Lila offering tips and guidance throughout the session.

Some basic supplies, including charcoal, pencils, blending tools, and paper, will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring their own drawing materials as well.

Excited to see you there! by @soylush

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3 months ago

“This Room is Ours: Centering the Black Figure” is now on view at Arts at King Street Station! Featuring works by Kamari Bright, Le’Ecia Farmer, Nahom Ghirmay, Adrienne Matthews, Ric’kisha Taylor, and Lila Alexis Thomas, the show centers Black figures in moments of joy, stillness, ease, tenderness, and empowered presence.

Celebrate the opening of this exhibit alongside “Ancestral Future: Taíno Archives” and “2025 SDOT Bridge Artists in Residence Showcase” we’ll be celebrating all three at @pioneersquare Art Walk tonight June 4 5–8 PM! by @soylush

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4 months ago

Join us Thursday, July 2 from 6–7 PM for This Room is Ours: Centering the Black Figure: Roundtable Talk.

Artists Kamari Bright, Le’Ecia Farmer, Nahom Ghirmay, Ric’kisha Taylor, and Lila Alexis Thomas will be in conversation with host Deycha Nhtae about their work, creative process, and the many ways the Black figure is seen, held, and imagined throughout the exhibition.

Come hear directly from the artists and spend time with the work on view.

Free and open to the public.

Arts at King Street Station 3rd Floor | 303 S Jackson St by @soylush

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3 months ago

some portraits captured by @amaris_mei during their visit at my studio in april it was a pleasure to be depicted by them and sharing space. appreciated the sweet and funny conversations, thank you! 💫

more to come soon ~

#mamiyarz67 #film #studioportrait #blackfigurativeart by @soylush

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4 months ago