Wall work and connecting with a legend
Wall Composition
One day last week, I was feeling particularly stuck with two paintings. Both were in that stage where I have to wrestle with them a bit to get them to their final state, whatever that might be. I like to be as proactive as possible when this happens, even if it’s late enough in the day to leave the studio and not really worry about taking advantage of the remaining time. I really needed to kick start some ideas and one interested way to do that, I surmised, was to do more than perhaps make a drawing or two in a sketchbook . Instead, it seemed like a great idea to see what I can spark with some drawings I already had. Why not “sketch” with some old drawings on the wall? I love the transparency of the clear acetate and nearly endless ways I can use it to create layered, free form compositions.
In addition to the acetate, I also have drawings on paper and other materials from the installations, however, I wasn’t in the mood to make anything too complicated nor that would take a lot of time to complete; I wanted to do something quick and not think about it too much. Just using some the one rolled up roll was enough, so I grabbed one and got to work. I’ve been keeping used blue painter’s tape around hanging off the edges of tables and in the corners of the walls around the studio. There’s some interesting paint colors and patterns on them from being used to create the edges of spaces on some of the paintings I’ve been making recently. While I’m not sure that I had any revelations about how to continue with the other two paintings, I did come up with a possibility for a side project using these and other drawings, calling it “Wall Compositions”
Wall Compositions is just me bringing together drawings on the studio wall in (hopefully) interesting arrangements, photographing them and putting the drawings away to be used in the future. I’m hoping to do a whole series of these wall sketches and maybe make a small book of them over time. I’m thinking that I want to expand the next one and make it much larger. Have to take advantage of the tall ceilings I have.
Quentin Morris at Larry Becker Contemporary
On November 18th, I and a gallery full of artists, collectors and supporters gathered to hear the great Quentin Morris give a talk about his newest group of paintings now on view at Larry Becker Contemporary in Philadelphia. I also attended the opening of his show and the biggest shock was seeing several paintings in the show that deviated from his well-known theme of all black works. These paintings included a rich cobalt blue along with the afore-mentioned black, calling to mind a version of dusk or the early morning hour just before daybreak. At the talk, Morris didn’t really give much of an explanation of the use of blue here, but I did learn something new about his work: he makes his paintings with around twenty layers of paint and the new works were all created with spray paint.
The surfaces of the new paintings vary between smooth/glossy, matte and others that are quite wrinkled in appearance, probably due to some temperature changes while making the pieces. Quentin said that he sprays the paint on outside and then moves the works inside to dry, so that may have something to do with the wrinkling. Overall, I found this show wonderfully expansive within limited means. The variety of depth, transparency, and surface qualities all added up to some quietly exciting works. Even though I’ve been twice, I’m planning on returning to spend a longer time with the work. If you’re in Philly over the next couple of weeks, make a plan to stop by and see this show.
Quentin Morris: New Paintings • Larry Becker Contemporary Art • 43 N. Second Street • Philadelphia, PA 19106 • 215-925-5389 •
Hours: Tue., Wed., Thurs. by appointment • Friday and Saturday 12-5pm
Quentin Morris studio visit, 2018
I’d known about and seen Quentin Morris’ work long before I met him. I knew he lived in Philadelphia, but I had no clue that I’d grown up and gone to elementary school in the same neighborhood as him (Morris is 20 years my senior). In fact, I’d passed his home a million times as a kid going back and forth to school and I only found out about that when he graciously accepted my request for a studio visit back in 2018.
Quentin’s childhood home serves as his studio, which means the entire unassuming, two-story row house in the Point Breeze section of Philly is filled with his rolled up, circular black canvases in various corners, rectangular black canvases lining the walls and other works stored in neat piles throughout. When I visited, there was next to no traditional furniture in the house, aside from his bed, a couple of bookcases and workbenches in the basement. This arrangement allows for maximum room to be given over to the making of his paintings. I was incredibly honored to be in the living and work space of one of the greatest living artists to come out of Philadelphia.
Fun fact: Quentin Morris is notoriously off-line. He prefers handling all of his communications through a landline in his home. He doesn’t have a computer and keeps all of his contacts’ phone numbers in a large binder.
More about Quentin Morris:
Artblog review of a recent show of Morris’s recent show of works on paper at Arcadia University