Will Eskridge

The Long Play, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

2024

I have long been fascinated by the idiosyncrasies and behavior of animals. There are secrets to other animals that we, as humans, can not comprehend. These mysteries are not unlike t...

The American flag sways slowly as the National Anthem plays softly in the background. A slow fade to black makes room for the single drone tone and a rainbow of color bars signal ...

Rémi Delaplace talks about the relationship to the other. The practice of dance nourishes the though of Rémi Delaplace: gravity, levitation, the body are all topics that cross his...

This painting of a Resplendent Quetzal feather is oil on linen and measures 72 by 33 inches. I hand build and stretch all of my painting substra...

In his "Effect" series, we see how Plusch gives location - places and spaces resembling the world around us - the same treatment once reserved for his abstract human forms. Effective...

Signed with initials to the lower right. Presented in a contemporary silver gilt frame. Labelled with the artist's biographical information on the verso. On board.

This work is an intense and colorful acrylic painting on canvas. All content remains entirely non-objective, emphasizing color and movement as the primary aspects of this wild and energetic composition. Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was born in 1940 in Texas, grew up the Houston’s historic Fifth Ward and received his formal education from UCLA. Following a career as a successful master chef, Long decided to devote himself entirely to art in the late 1970’s. He began to explore folk art and assemblage to create a unique body of work, attracting the attention of Jim Harithas, then Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and artists John Alexander, Salvatore Scarpitta and James Surls. His life spanned an era of radical change in the American social climate, the influence of which can be seen clearly in his work. Long’s paintings and sculptures incorporate a high level of skill and sophisticated knowledge of art history, along with complex philosophical and social issues.  Long describes the philosophy behind his work as "a quest to help people diagnose their inner self," believing his art to be "the vehicle to help facilitate the process." “As artists we have the obligation to provide the world with art which communicates as truth. I believe that art has the power to heal our souls of their afflictions. I try to create art which helps to diagnose the prevalent conditions within our societies, hopefully providing an insightfulness which will help us all become brothers and sisters united in equality and compassion”                                       - Bert L. Long, Jr. The late Peter Marzio, former Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, said of Bert Long during the major retrospective of Long’s work at the museum: “Bert Long does not avert his gaze from that which is painful, but as [his artworks] testify, he also brings a spirit of joy and redemption to his art. We can all learn from this great artist.” Over Long’s 33-year career as a painter, sculptor, and photographer, he had several solo exhibitions at respected museums and was awarded many significant awards including the National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1987 and the prestigious international Prix de Rome fellowship in 1990. Other notable awards of Long’s include the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts Artist of the Year Award in 2009, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Assistance Grant in 1997, the Houston Art League Texas Artist of the Year in 1990, the NEA Visual Artists Fellowship Grant, 1987 and the Bemis Foundation Residency in 1998. His work can be seen in over 100 private and public collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Bachillerato in Spain. With a recent solo exhibition at the Houston Museum of African American Culture and an exhibition overseas which is pending featuring his work, plus interest from several national museums, Bert L. Long Jr. continues to be recognized as an important African American artist throughout Texas, nationally and internationally. Bert L. Long, Jr. "The History of Painting...

This is a painting and collage on a circular panel. "By placing figures into fantastical landscapes, I allow the viewer a glimpse into what might be reality, or not. This practice a...