With a strong Italian and Spanish heritage, Thai Mainhard was born and raised in Brazil, before moving to California in 2010 to study art. She later established herself with her husband and their two daughters in Los Angeles, where she now lives and works.
Since childhood, art has been an integral outlet for Thai: she first started painting at age 10 and, throughout her life, has utilized her creativity as a means of expression and self-discovery. At the end of 2020 Thai’s artwork took a new form after her father was hospitalized in Brazil with severe Covid-19: devastatingly, he passed away a few weeks later in the hospital, having suffered alone. This was a period of unbearable stress, anxiety, and pain for Thai and her family. To cope with the intensity of the situation she began to paint without rest, channeling and processing the waves of emotion into her paintings. As a result of this experience, Thai refined and developed a more specific movement and style in her paintings, leading to the birth of her artworks as they exist today.
Mainhard’s paintings are processed based. She does not envision her artworks before she starts painting. One intervention onto the canvas will lead to the next one, and so on, unfolding in an instinctual and organic manner. Oftentimes, she begins her creative process by painting shapes with black gesso in a matte finish. The following forms are made with oil sticks, pastels, acrylic, or spray paint. She also leaves intentionally exposed canvas. Her intuitive approach is epitomized by loose brush strokes, subconscious mark-making, and an acute sense of color combinations that express deep human emotions.
Since late 2020, Thai’s work has been in high demand, and she has found resonance with collectors all over the world. She is supported by the renowned IG platform Abstract Mag and has exhibited in group shows and solo exhibitions in Europe and cities across the United States, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. Her works were also presented with great success at the LA Art Show (2021 and 2022) and the world-renowned West Bund Art and Design fair in Shanghai, China (2021). In 2022 Mainhard participated in several exhibitions, including a group show at Simard Bilodeau Contemporary in Los Angeles with Thorbjørn Bechmann and Marcel Rozek. In 2023, she was the Soho Home Studio featured artist, featured in Dwell Magazine, and exhibited at Frieze Week Los Angeles. Mainhard begins her 2024 strong with group shows and solo shows across the US and Europe.