James P. Morse
Hinsdale, USA, 1982
About
Lives and works in Northport, Michigan
James Morse uses the imagery of land as a language to explore emotions that arise from contemplating our existence. The universe, and our presence within it, is a mystery. Contemplating our existence gives rise to the full spectrum of emotions. That we exist at all is both joyful and terrifying, beautiful and hideous, constructive and destructive. Our existence is mystifyingly confusing, and at the same time essentially simple and easily understood. It is difficult to discuss such contradictory emotions with words. Images and music explore and express feelings with an acuity that words do not.
Morse’s work is not intended to describe scenery the way that a photograph does. Instead, a visual record of thinking, feeling, and responding to the world emerges on the canvas. The passage of time
is evident in the careful mark making and craft-work that occur as a result of the artist Being-in-the-world. The paintings are built up, striving to look like something made of paint, so that there is no confusion about the illusion of pictorial space. These are objects of emotional metaphor that respond to the ontological awareness that we exist, not reproductions of perceived beauty. The canvases show the process of struggling to understand the space we exist within by retaining evidence of geometric grids, the modification of composition and color choices, and the patina of thought and craftsmanship, as the artist works to comprehend existence within a world that we are somehow consciously detached from. In this sense, the paintings document the world’s contemplation of the artist as much as they record the artist’s contemplation of the world, for they are one and the same.
CV
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
The Hands That Comb The Hills, Cob Gallery, London, UK (2024)
Online, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA (2023)
Because There Are Stars, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA (2022)
Eastfield (Online), Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA (2021)
Looking at Leelanau, Cook’s House, Traverse City, Michigan, USA (2020)
One Hundred Acres (Online) Northport, Michigan, USA (2020)
Geese Returning, Cook’s House, Traverse City, Michigan, USA (2019)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
The remains of the day, Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona, Spain (2024)
Art at Kings Oaks, Kings Oaks, Newtown, USA (2024)
Alright, Alright, Alright, Eric Firestone Gallery, New York, USA (2024)
Arcadia & Elsewhere, James Cohan Gallery, New York, USA (2024)
Two Person Show, Scroll Gallery, New York, USA (2024)
New Landscapes, Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona, Spain (2023)
Pocket Universe, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA (2023)
David Zwirner Platform (Online) New York, USA (2022)
Harvest Moon, Leelanau Conservancy, Leland, Michigan, USA (2022)
Art Leelanau, Old Art Building, Leland, Michigan USA (2022)
Night Painting, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA (2022)
Necessity, Galleri MagnUSA Karlsson, Stockholm, Sweden (2022)
PPP on Paper (Online), Painters Painting Paintings, London, UK (2021)
Art Leelanau, Old Art Building, Leland, Michigan, USA (2021)
Postcards at Hellvi Kännungs, Galleri Magnus Karlsson, Gotland, Sweden (2021)
Shifted Horizon, Hesse Flatow Gallery, Chelsea, New York, USA (2021)
Angle of Repose, Poker Flats Gallery, Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA (2021)
From Morning Til Night, Never Rely on a Single Thing, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA (2021)
Art Leelanau, Old Art Building, Leland, Michigan, USA (2020)
New Paintings, Morsecraft Studio, Northport, Michigan, USA (2019)
Art Leelanau, Old Art Building, Leland, Michigan, USA (2019)
Irregular Symmetry of Pattern, Wright Gallery, Northport, Michigan, USA (2018)
Juried Fine Arts Show, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Traverse City, Michigan, USA (2018)
