Mark Thomas's ambition is that people feel his paintings, that viewers see his art with their spiritual eyes, and that on canvas he will be able to convey emotions by way of colour, form and texture. Inspired by natures forms around his home in the Wakatipu Basin and tempered by the events and experiences of his personal life, Thomas's paintings depict a search beneath the surface of subjects ranging from the bush to Christchurches water tower.

Thomas' personal views are incorporated into his paintings yet do not command them. Viewing Thomas' paintings takes place on two levels. Initially colours and the texture of paint apon canvas draw attention, the viewers perception of form and subject are then evoked by Thomas' translation of emotion into the visual field.

The versatility of Mark Thomas' art is a reflection of his personal life. A reluctant carpenter, he bought paints on the first day of his apprenticeship and worked each day with his mind on other things. Three years later Thomas took a two week holiday and never returned. The holiday became a career as a deer stalker. The freedom and camaraderie of his new career were balanced with a growing sence of survival that was analagous to life in modern New Zealand.
Mark Thomas describes his artistic energy as coming from "the transferring of the spiritual to the reality". For Thomas the spiritual form gives "the blueprint for action".