SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Brian Gross Fine Art is presenting a solo exhibition of works by Colorado artist Pard Morrison. Featured are Morrison’s signature work that takes the form of colorful, wall-mounted paintings in patinated aluminum, and related freestanding sculptures. Also included are a series of enamel on acrylic drawings. The exhibition, the artist’s first major solo show in San Francisco, will be on view through June 30, 2012.
Influenced by the grid paintings of Agnes Martin and the rectilinear sculptures of Donald Judd, the work of Pard Morrison builds upon the Minimalist tradition. Experimenting with color and shape, Morrison departs from his predecessors through his bold color palette. Through the repetition of blocks of neutral colors juxtaposed with vibrant colors, Morrison’s gridded geometric forms are a dramatic mix of geometry and delicate application of paint. Preferring the term “human minimalism,” Morrison’s painterly treatment of surface creates works that are hard-edge geometry with “soft” edges.
Morrison begins his process by fabricating forms in aluminum to which he applies pigment through an enameling process called “patination.” Morrison’s paintings play with color, shape, and form, resulting in work that is a cross between painting and sculpture. Morrison translates his geometric paintings to sculpture through the wrapping of vivid rectilinear shapes onto the sculptural form. Designed for both indoor and outdoor installation, Morrison’s large-scale monolithic sculptures make for a profound visual and physical encounter. Drawing upon the traditions of reductive painting and geometric abstraction, Morrison’s work is vibrant and dynamic, buffered with a quiet and subtle quality that offers a unique aesthetic experience.
Pard Morrison was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado and received his BFA in sculpture from Colorado State University. His work has been exhibited widely throughout the United States and can be found in the collections of the University of Wyoming Art Museum and the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, among others. Morrison currently lives and works in Colorado Springs.
