Fred Morrison

Caribbean Abstraction

A tropic paradise upon powers of the seas

• An American artist living on the island of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Morrison is always mindful of the exotic and immensely beautiful domicile in which he lives. The work of Fred Morrison is an idyllic journey, a trip, through the colors and the beauty of insular landscapes that has inspired him throughout his life.

• Fred Morrison searches for stylistic correspondence abstract expressionism and the tropic paradise in which he lives, juxtaposing them with the result of creating a poetic equivalence of the fervor and lushness which dominates the two. His paintings swirl with fluidity and watery imagery. Put to their fullest use, Morrison’s exceptional use of color, unhesitating lines and sense of unrestricted motion underscore his passion for the source of his inspiration, nature. At once relentless and timeless, Morrison’s work, nonetheless, presents a glimpse of calm.

• Fred Morrison trusts that paint alone is powerful so we find that power in his work.

• He says, “The surface should be like a pulse.” And like a pulse, imagery appears and disappears every second.

• Drawing upon the mysteries and powers of the forests and the seas, Morrison vigorously asks us to regard various aspects of nature as traces of our own culture and society. This abstraction and spontaneity of nature is the recurrent theme in his work.Morrison’s work reminds you of things vaguely seen, slightly felt, an aroma that evaporates before it can be named.

• Fred Morrison is an American painter from the Caribbean. He was born September 17, 1937 in Media, Pennsylvania and died in 2008.

• Morrison got trained as an Illustrator at the Academy of Fine Arts of Philadelphia before moving to the US Virgin Islands.Morrison draws even in his most abstract work. He constantly seeks and finds that fusion of light, color and insistent movement that results in an abstract, forceful treatment forceful treatment of a naturalistic subject matter.

• Fred Morrison began painting flowers before turning toward abstraction. He established his reputation in the mid-1980s with large floral canvases that clearly showed his strength at representing nature with a few perfect swatches of paint. Like work beyond of Morrison’s favorite painters, J.M.W Turner, they absolutely glow with talent and hope.

• Fred Morrison’s home in St. Thomas has one of the most spectacular views in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was documented in an article in National Geographic. Working in the Virgin Islands has, preserved an innocent faith find in his work. The influence of such a grand panorama is inescapable for the artist. That he deals with it as inevitable as sunrise. Seascape is one such obvious and conscious effort. Such attempts at capturing reality within the context of the abstract is sure to offend purists. However, the intent here is to please the viewer’s eye, to refresh. The abstract is employed by this artist for the sense of freedom it allows. He is not contained by the intellectual arguments of the critics.

• EXHIBITIONS:

Since 2000: Private collection exhibition at ART THEMA HEYI, Brussels, Belgium

Major exhibitions in USA:

- Group Show, Mussavi Arts Center, Long Island, New York, USA

- Two Man Show, Mussavi Arts Center, Long Isaland, New York, USA

- Group Show, Crystal Pavilion, New York, USA

- One Man Show, Mussavi Arts Center, New York, USA

- Group Chow, Martin Galleries,USA

- One Man Show, Galerie Martin, Town Center at Boca Raton, USA

• COLLECTIONS:

- Golden City Bank, New York, USA

- New York State University, Poughkeepsie, USA

- Grace Line, New York, USA

- Michael de Santis, New York, USA

- Herbert Harris, Geneva, Switzerland

- Joel Vazeille, Paris, France

- Anna Friedman, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

- Regina Simoes de Mello Leitais, Salvador, Brazil

- Arthur Dadurian, New York, USA

- Dr. Dorian Blebea, New York, USA

- Ronald di Stefano, Los Angeles, USA

- Jan De Vries, Philadelphia, USA

• Brushstrokes are almost nonexistent in his paintings. Sources are merely hinted at. In his paintings, the artist is much more likely to be brash. His strengths are put to their fullest use – color patterning, brilliant palette, unhesitating lines, a sense of depth and motion unrestricted by naturalistic form.

• Color composition is Morrison’s strength. His works are composed of washes of color that cohere into organic wholes. Morrison’s approach allows the color to achieve a translucent on the paper. Layers of lavish colors are washed over one another, poured and applied with a variety of tools, including match sticks, squeegees and the artist’s hand, until the resulting textures and forms are integrated into pure movement, defying all definitions of time and space. Colors soak deep into his canvas, giving Morrison much of the pastel and translucent qualities which he seeks. The canvasses, themselves, are usually large, further conveying to the viewer the raw power and frenzy of nature.

• His method of working over his canvas, pouring and pulling paint on all sides, explains much of this effect. Luckily Fred Morrison disciplines the random art of throwing paint with quite intentional brushwork. And these sings of Mind elevate Morrison’s work. Beyond colorful, they show Man struggling to see nature by impressing order.

Fred Morrison America, 1937-2008

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