Frank Morbillo

Ribbon Contour

2011

Frank Morbillo is an American contemporary artist and sculptor, born in Queens and raised on Long Island, New York. As a young adult, he moved west, first to Montana and eventually to Santa Fe, New Mexico. His work is clearly influenced both by the man-made landscape of urban architecture and by the starker, more abrupt western landscapes that stand as evidence of the forces that shape our natural environment. His abstract sculptures emanate from this experience of the Southwest landscape, not in a descriptive, representational way, but rather as he bears witness to the sustained and dramatic effects of time on his environment.

Frank's intimate relationship with all aspects of metal working, including the patina process, has enabled him to add an organic quality to his work, forging a connection between his own sculptural aesthetic and the forces at work in the natural environment. His mastery of materials and processes is especially apparent when he combines two materials, glass and metal or steel and bronze. The resulting contrast evokes the smooth and craggy textures, the bright light and deep shadows, the wide sky and sculpted canyons.