Burton Morris Artwork

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Burton Morris Biography

Building on the legacy of Pop Art masters of the 1960s-70s, Artist Burton Morris presents his personal world of popular American icons that put a delightful spin on everyday objects and motifs. In his post-Pop style, Morris boldly projects an enticing mood of happiness, high energy and fun.

Morris' forbearers were Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Tom Wesselmann and Red Grooms. He also employs some of the shorthand gestures of comic strips and magazines he has loved and emulated since childhood. These classic devices are seen in his simplified forms and action lines indicating movement joined with his rich acrylic colors. Morris imbues his art with his own impeccable style and optimistic frame of mind.

The artist's distinctive sword-like slashes suggesting shards of energy come from his study of woodcut prints. Two of his heroes are Albrecht Durer and Rockwell Kent. Durer used similar hatching in the sixteenth century. Twentieth century American artist Rockwell Kent illustrated books and designed bookplates with such lines. Artists for The New York Review of Books emulated his style in small India ink drawings called 'gloomies' in journalistic parlance.

Burton Morris was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1964. Like the late Pop artist Keith Haring, Morris felt an early attraction to Belgian artist Pierre Alechinsky's paintings that resemble fantastic comic strips. Both artists saw the Belgian's large exhibition in the International Series at Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, in 1977.

Morris earned his bachelor of fine arts degree at Carnegie Mellon University in 1986 and, during three more years while art directing and doing television commercials, he began developing his post-Pop drawings.

The artist established the Burton Morris Studios in 1990. That year he began making his small post-Pop icons more impressive by enlarging them. He also tightened his brushwork into his present precise style. He would choose one subject per composition to create what he calls 'an instant happening' for the viewer.

In his paintings Morris energizes every day images with his unique style. Subjects such as a steaming coffee cup, a swirling martini, and a dancing popcorn box all take on a new life under his paintbrush . These images among many others are now internationally known.

Morris has exhibited his artwork internationally in galleries and museums. He was selected by the International Olympic Committee to create 36 original paintings regarding the spirit of the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Museum hosted a one-man exhibition in Lausanne, Switzerland, during the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Reaching out to mass audiences, Morris has created signature images for the 76th annual Academy Awards, the 38th Montreux Jazz Festival, The Andre Agassi Foundation, and the 2006 Major League Baseball All- Star Game. In addition, fans of the legendary television sitcom "Friends", were familiar with Morris' artwork that adorned its set for ten seasons.

His most recent accomplishment was being selected by Major League Baseball as the offical artist for the 2006 Allstar game. You could see his work not only in the creation of the logo for the game but draped along the outfield wall.

His paintings hang in the corporate collections of Warner Bros. Studios, Gallo Winery, Microsoft and H.J. Heinz. He has created murals and installations for The South Shore Plaza, The UPMC Sports Medical Center, and The David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Some private collectors include Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Tim Allen, and John Travolta.

Morris currently splits his time between homes and studios in both Los Angeles, CA and Pittsburgh, PA.