John Albert Murphy

John Albert Murphy Porcelain "Dark Days Ahead" Sculptural Nested Bowls

2016

This magnificent "Scalloped Box" is a stoneware piece with decorative layers of rich toned glazes and markings that John was so well-known for. He was, also, known for the undulating lip lines on his exquisite boxes that fit together like a puzzle. Each piece that John produced was unique. He was seduced by the effects of the reduction kiln, which decreased the levels of oxygen during firing, inducing the flame to pull oxygen out of the clay and glazes thereby changing the colors of the glazes depending on their iron and copper content. In this way he achieved the rich gradients of ochre and umber and variations in stippling and opacity. This piece is signed and stamped on the bottom. John was an American Abstract Expressionist ceramicist born in Detroit, MI. Though open to artistic experimentation, Glick was most influenced by the styles and aesthetics of Asian pottery—an inspiration that shows in his use of decorative patterns and glaze choices. He has said that he is attracted to simplicity, as well as complexity: my work continually reflects my re-examination that these two poles can coexist… or not, in a given series. Glick also took influences from master potters of Japan, notably Shoji Hamada and Kanjrio Kawai, blending their gestural embellishments of simple forms with attitudes of Abstract Expressionism. He was particularly drown to the work of Helen Frankenthaler whose soak-stain style resonated with Glick’s multi-layered glaze surfaces, which juxtaposed veils of atmospheric color with gestural marks and pattern. He spent countless hours developing and making his own tools in order to achieve previously unseen results in his work with clay and glaze. Glick’s “Plum Tree Pottery...

“Queen” is a stunning iconic portrait of a young woman coming into the full flower of her beauty and developing power. She is set in a sculptural scene of softly rounded forms surrounded by blues, pinks and lavenders along with flowers and a small hummingbird. There is a quiet power and energy in the young woman as she appears to be on the verge of movement. That she is visually beautiful is actually beside the point for Henry has managed to capture in paint the inner beauty flowing from her presence. Henry says that, “Painting is like breathing for me. I do so daily and appreciate my gift and ability. Perfection drives me as I create each piece. It must be unique. It must stand out, and is not complete until that special quality is achieved in my eyes.” Being able to create is an essential part of my life. It is an extension of my innermost thoughts and imagination. My primary focus of art is realism--using oils and acrylics. Occasionally, I switch mediums and design and build three dimensional pieces. Working mixed mediums, I use various wood, metal and paint, thus allowing me to achieve the visual effects I am looking for. Many of my pieces have been derived from my attraction to Art Deco and Ethnic designs. I am not satisfied until each piece, regardless of the medium or size, has reached the highest possible level of aesthetic quality and craftsmanship I can give it. I have enjoyed creating art since childhood. While a student at Martin Luther King Jr. high school in Detroit, I created and presented a portrait to then Mayor Coleman A. Young. A scholarship from Center for Creative Studies now the College for Creative Studies afforded me the opportunity to work towards and receive a BA in Fine Arts. Faculty and graduates of CCS include Richard Jerzy, Harry Bertoia, Doug Chaing (currently director of Lucas Film), Stephen Dinehart (game maker, writer, designer connected with The David Lynch Foundation), Tyree Guyton (international artist), Herb Babcock, Jerome Feretti, Kevin Siembieda (writer, designer and publisher of role-playing games), Renee Radell, Philip Pearlstein, Charles McGee (nationally recognized African American sculptor of animal and dancing spirits), Philip Pearlstein (2000 Honorary Doctorate, Modern Realism style), John Louis Krieger (American Modern), William Girard (American Modern), and Charles Culver. Mr. Heading understands the joy found in art and how it affects a young person's heart. He has shared his love for art as a mentor/teacher at the Virgil L. Carr Center in Detroit, Michigan. Students not only grew in their art experience, but also exhibited at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. Winning the 2013 MI Great Artist Competition was an honor for Mr. Heading. He is thankful to Park West Gallery owner Albert Scaglione and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson for the opportunity. Mr. Heading has been featured on ASPIRE TV, shows at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the National Conference of Artists and other numerous galleries. In addition, he is a book illustrator. His murals create a beautiful focal point and conversation piece on the walls of homes, churches and health care facilities. His art and furniture is enjoyed and treasured by collectors across the United States and Canada. Kohei Suzuki, the former Mayor of Toyota City, Japan has a box designed by Henry. His first attempt at mosaic tile was creating a Tiger sculpture to benefit the Detroit Tigers...

"Construction 1982" Abstract Wall Sculpture Contemporary Mid 20th Century Modern Painted wood assemblage, 36 x 45 x 4 inches overall. Note the label states 3 foot diameter referring to circular portion. Exhibited, Seymour Fogel Constructions Paintings and Drawing, 1984, typed on Graham Modern label verso Seymour Fogel was born in New York City on August 24, 1911. He studied at the Art Students League and at the National Academy of Design under George Bridgeman and Leon Kroll. When his formal studies were concluded in the early 1930s he served as an assistant to Diego Rivera who was then at work on his controversial Rockefeller Center mural. It was from Rivera that he learned the art of mural painting. Fogel was awarded several mural commissions during the 1930s by both the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, among them his earliest murals at the Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, New York in 1936, a mural in the WPA Building at the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, a highly controversial mural at the U.S. Post Office in Safford, Arizona (due to his focus on Apache culture) in 1941 and two murals in what was then the Social Security Building in Washington, D.C., also in 1941. Fogel's artistic circle at this time included Phillip Guston, Ben Shahn, Franz Kline, Rockwell Kent and Willem de Kooning. In 1946 Fogel accepted a teaching position at the University of Texas at Austin and became one of the founding artists of the Texas Modernist Movement. At this time he began to devote himself solely to abstract, non-representational art and executed what many consider to be the very first abstract mural in the State of Texas at the American National Bank in Austin in 1953. He pioneered the use of Ethyl Silicate as a mural medium. Other murals and public works of art done during this time (the late 1940s and 1950s) include the Baptist Student Center at the University of Texas (1949), the Petroleum Club in Houston (1951) and the First Christian Church, also in Houston (1956), whose innovative use of stained glass panels incorporated into the mural won Fogel a Silver Medal from the Architectural League of New York in 1958. Fogel relocated to the Connecticut-New York area in 1959. He continued the Abstract Expressionism he had begun exploring in Texas, and began experimenting with various texturing media for his paintings, the most enduring of which was sand. In 1966 he was awarded a mural at the U.S. Federal Building in Fort Worth, Texas. The work, entitled "The Challenge of Space", was a milestone in his artistic career and ushered in what has been termed the Transcendental/Atavistic period of his art, a style he pursued up to his death in 1984. Painted and raw wood sculpture...

Artist Commentary: Aluminum can-tabs chained together with safety pins are layered, massed and attached to an MDF backing creating a dense sparkling texture. The can-tabs are reflective, glinting in the light, catching the eye of those who pass by them. These shield-like, glittering wall pieces have the presence of valuable treasure, but closer inspection reveals that the treasure is made from can-tabs, one of many common disposable items that continuously pass through our hands. Keywords: assemblage, post consumer can-tabs Details: This is a wall mounted scuplture made from post consumer can-tabs and safety pins mounted on green MDF. A hanging cleat is attached on back. signed on back. No paints are use in this piece. The can-tabs are manufactured in many colors according to thier brand. Artist Biography: Since 2002, award winning artist Virginia Fleck...