BILL MORAN
Bill was born and raised in
New York City and was a long-time resident of Connecticut until relocating to
Florida in 2006. In 1990, he chose
early retirement from a successful business career to devote himself to painting
on a full-time basis. He studied
for several years in the Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan, Connecticut
and, since then, has shown his work in hundreds of art exhibits in the Northeast
and Florida. His work is in collections throughout the United States.
Over the years, Bill has
served on the boards of a number of art associations. Most recently, he served
as Gallery Curator in the Gateway Center for the Arts in DeBary, Florida (2008
through 2013) and still is on its Visual Arts Committee.
Bill paints exclusively in
acrylic on canvas, working from his imagination on what he calls his “People
Pictures”, celebrating people who never were and events that never happened.
“While my paintings obviously concentrate on people, to me the specific images
are secondary to the visual impact I’m seeking through line, tone and color. I
like to think in musical terms as I design a work: rhythm, tempo, counterpoint.
The figures should ‘pulse’ through variations in scale, color and value. In the
end, however, there must be one ‘total gesture’ integrating the entire canvas.
(Without that I’d have a bunch of disconnected ‘notes’ but no ‘song’.)
“My people, in the words of
an old Johnny Mercer song, are ‘on this merry misadventure we call life’. They
dine, sport, dance, and sing. Being only human, however, they betray
undercurrents, circling each other, establishing a pecking order of their own
and, when ‘the humor is off them’ they clash and glower out at us. That’s life
and art is its mirror.
My work has been described
by some as story-telling. I disagree. I’m more concerned with setting a scene,
capturing both a moment and a mood. I leave it to each viewer to create the
story. Some artists have an edge to their work. When I try to make some
monumental point, however, the result can be a bit ‘preachy’. So I prefer
satire. Because I am more bemused
than outraged I tweak rather than rant, making serious points in a
not-so-serious fashion.”
To Contact Bill, please email: moransart@gmail.com
