34 years! (707) 933-1300 info@sculpturesite.com
34 years! (707) 933-1300 info@sculpturesite.com
Frank Morbillo was born in Queens and raised on Long Island, but as a young adult moved west — first to Montana and eventually to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Morbillo’s work is clearly influenced both by the man-made landscape of urban architecture, and by the starker, more abrupt western landscapes which stand as evidence of the forces that shape our natural environment.
Morbillo’s first artistic love was ceramics. As an undergraduate at Alfred University in upstate New York, Morbillo explored and pushed the structural properties of ceramics. His first exploration in metal came during a winter session in coal forging, where he glimpsed that the structural properties of metals offered a whole new language. Learning to work metal added volumes to Frank’s artistic vocabulary; metal could be cast, cut, welded, and otherwise shaped by a great many processes. With metal, the scale of Morbillo’s work was able to grow.
After receiving his BFA from Alfred, Morbillo spent two years working in the building trades (thereby expanding his knowledge of construction processes) before attending graduate school at the University of Montana in Missoula. Some of his first works from his time in Montana incorporated concrete and wood as well as metal, but over time the pull of working with metal became dominant in Morbillo’s creative process. The power of the natural environment, so immediate in the Big Sky State, also began to influence him during this time. His relationship with landscape intensified as he observed the hydraulics of western rivers cutting through rock; the freeze-thaw cycles of snow pack eroding the great Rocky Mountains.
In 1984 Morbillo completed graduate school and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he began working at Shidoni Art Foundry. His intimate relationship with all aspects of metal working, including the casting 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. The influence of these natural forces can be as subtle as the change in seasons, or as abrupt as a volcanic eruption. It is this dynamic that Morbillo strives to convey in many of his sculptures.
Morbillo’s continued observation of the stark landscape and climate of the Southwest has also led him to incorporate greater contrasts and textures in his work over the last twenty years, further emphasizing the connection between Nature, Art and Humankind in the natural environment.
Frank Morbillo‘s abstract sculptures emanate from his 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. Aspects of human interventions on the eco-systems that he patiently observes also appear in his work and sometimes merge with natural features. We see undulating buildings, or are they the sides of slot canyons? Layers of flagstones, or are they curved adobe walls?
Morbillo’s mastery of the materials and processes is apparent in his stainless steel, glass, mild steel, and bronze works with rich patinas, which are in turn subjected to the impact of the environment. In many sculptures, 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.
The landscape of the American Southwest has had a powerful influence on my art since my arrival in 1984. I have explored the land’s peaks and valleys, mesas and canyons, fascinated by the textures, rhythms and flows that tie the landscape together and, at times, tear it apart.
The timeless power of the natural forces of wind, sun, fire and water is the constant thread that shapes this stark land. The geological influence of these forces is sustained as well as immediate, with events that reshape the contours of the land and our relationship with it. Our imprint on the land, while geologically short, has also been subject to these forces; left behind is a record of our tracks, tools and structures to be rediscovered and interpreted.
Understanding this or any environment requires patient observation; a process that takes time and should not be taken for granted. As an artist, I try to interpret my experiences in a way that furthers our cultural awareness and understanding.
Selected Solo, Two Person and Three Person Exhibitions
2016 "Inside the Sculptor's Studio: Frank Morbillo," Sculpturesite Gallery, Glen Ellen, CA
2016 New Mexico Art in Public Places, large-scale purchase initiative, invited to selection process
2015 Three Person Show, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2015 One Person Show, Hulse - Warman Gallery, Taos, NM
2012 Acclaimed Artist, University of New Mexico, Engineering Complex, Albuquerque, NM
2010 One Person Show, Deloney Newkirk Gallery (DNG), Santa Fe, NM
2010 Featured Artist, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2007 Solo Show, Deloney Newkirk Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
2007 Three Person Show, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2006 Solo Show, Deloney Newkirk, Tesuque, NM
2005 Featured Artist, Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM
2004 Featured Artist, Lumina Gallery, North Taos, NM
1995 Two Person Show, Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM
1993 Solo Show, Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM
1992 Solo Show, Perry-House Galleries, Alexandria, VA
1991 Solo Show, Shidoni Contemporary, NM
1991 Two Person Show, Elaine Horowitch Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ
1988 Solo Sculpture Show, Kyle Belding Gallery, Denver, CO
1986 Solo Show, Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM
Selected Group Exhibitions
2015 "Paint Your Shovel," Auction to benefit National New Deal Preservation Association
2015 "Power of Place," Santa Fe Botanical Garden, Santa Fe, NM
2015 Finalist, Ladera Heights Public Art Project, Albuquerque, NM
2014 "From the Earth," Tubac Center of Fine Art, Tubac, AZ
2013-2014 "Art aRound Town," Carbondale, CO
2013 "Art Encounters" Program, Highlands Ranch Cultural Affairs Association, Douglas County, CO
2013 "Focus on Landscape," Featured Artist, Mathews Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2013 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2013 Mathews Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2013 "Summoned," K Space Contemporary, Corpus Christi, TX
2013 "Sculpture in the Park," Loveland, CO
2012 Finalist, Homestead Open Space Park, Water Department Projects, City of Greeley, CO
2012 Finalist, John Michael Kohler Artist in Industry Residency, Kohler, WI
2012 Hulse - Warman Gallery, Taos, NM
2012 "Art on the Street," City of Lafayette, CO
2012 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2011-2012 "Art Encounters" Program, Douglas County, CO
2011-2012 "Sculpture on Loan" Program, City of Greeley, CO
2011-2012 "Sculpture for Awhile" Program, City of Broomfield, CO
2011 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2009 "Form and Function," A New Leaf Gallery, Sonoma, CA
2009 "Artist Dialog," Preston Contemporary Art Center, Mesilla, NM
2009 Group Show, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas TX
2008 "Miniatures And More," Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque NM
2008 Preston Contemporary Art Center, Mesilla, NM
2008 "Oil and Water," Sculpture Ranch, Santa Fe, NM
2008 "Creations in Metal," The Art Center at Fuller Lodge, Los Alamo, NM
2007-2008 "Big Ideas, Small Works," Sculpturesite Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007 SOFA Chicago, represented by Sculpturesite Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007 "Breaking The Mold Show," Alfred University, Alfred NY
2007 NM Sculptors Guild at the Sculpture Ranch, Santa Fe, NM
2007 Introductions North, Denton Arts Council, Denton, TX
2007 Lennar Communities Commission, Palm Springs, CA
2006 Sculptor and Painter Show, Remmi Fine Art, Denver, CO
2005 "Toy Show," Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM
2005 "Vernissage," Opening Exhibition, Sculpturesite Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2004 "Water Works 2004,” A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2004 “Manifesto 04," The Sculpture Ranch, Santa Fe, NM
2003 “Dance Partners,” Opening Exhibition, Lumina Gallery, North Taos, NM
2003 “Inside Out,” New Mexico Sculptors Guild Show
2003 Furniture Show, Shidoni Arts Gallery, NM
2002 “In the Round: Sculpture at the Roundhouse,” Governor’s Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2002 “Healing Partners,” New Mexico Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM
2002 “Sculpture, NOW,” Inaugural Sculpture Invitational, The Sculpture Ranch, Santa Fe, NM
2001 “30th Anniversary Outdoor Sculpture Show," Shidoni Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2001 “Sit On Art,” Invitational Furniture Show, A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2001 “Water Visions 2001,” Sculptural Fountains Show, A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2000 Grand Opening, Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM
2000 "Ten Year Anniversary Show," A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1999 Grand Opening, Cheekwood Museum and Botanical Gardens, Nashville, TN
1999 Karen Newby Gallery, Tubac, AZ
1999 Paseo Sculpture Show, Palm Springs, CA
1999 “Earth Works,” Site-Specific Show combining visual art and nature, Santa Fe, NM
1998 “Bronze Age ’98,” sculpture show, A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1997 Grand Opening Show, Ridhwan Sculpture Garden, Taos, NM
1997 “Water Visions ’97,” A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1996 "25th Anniversary Outdoor Sculpture Show," Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM
1996 "Water Visions '96," A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1996 "Furniture Show," A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1995 Group Show, A New Leaf Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1995 Opening Exhibit, Cynthia Woody Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
1994 Seventh Annual Shrine Show, Santa Fe, NM
1994 "Old Media, New Ways," Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM
1994 Outdoor Sculpture Show, Westin Mission Hills and Valerie Miller Fine Art, Rancho Mirage, CA
1993 "Los Alamos Shows Shidoni," City of Los Alamos, NM
1993 "Furniture as Art," Shidoni Galleries Invitational
1993 Sixth Annual Shrine Show, Santa Fe, NM
1992 "Death and Taxes," Shidoni Galleries Invitational, NM
1991 "Japan Contemporary Crafts-Art Show," Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
1991 "Best of Scottsdale," Elaine Horowitch Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ
1990 Art Los Angeles, Expo '90, represented by Shidoni Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1990 "Japan Contemporary Crafts-Art Show, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, Japan
1990 "Best of Scottsdale," Elaine Horowitch Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ
1990 Chicago Art Expo (Navy Pier Show), represented by Elaine Horowitch Galleries, Chicago, IL
1990 Third Annual Shrine Art Show, Santa Fe, NM
1989 Group Show, Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM
1989 Chicago Art Expo (Navy Pier Show), represented by Elaine Horowitch Galleries, Chicago, IL
1989 "Artists' Takes on Architecture," Zenith Gallery, Washington, D.C.
1989 Second Annual Shrine Art Show, Santa Fe, NM
1989 Judy Sanders Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1989 "Color and Form," Elaine Horowitch Galleries, Palm Springs, CA
1989 City of Palm Springs Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, CA
1989 Broadhollow House Showcase, Brookville, Long Island, NY
1989 Vail Valley Foundation Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Vail, CO
1989 Furniture Show, Kyle Belding Gallery, Denver, CO
1989 The Woodlot Gallery, Sheboygan, WI
1988 New Artists Exhibition, Shidoni Gallery, Tesuque, NM
1988 Santa Fe Community College Opening Display, Santa Fe, NM
1988 Eve Cohen Gallery, Chicago, IL
1988 Summersett Gallery, Melville, NY
1987 "Toy Art," Shidoni, Tesuque, NM
1987 "Open House Fragments," Shidoni Gardens Installation Project, Tesuque, NM
1987 Outdoor Contemporary Installation, Norman, OK
1987 Lubbock Arts Festival, Lubbock, TX
1986 Wright Gallery, Dallas, TX
1986 12th Annual Outdoor Sculpture Show, Shidoni Gardens, Tesuque, NM
1986 Plaza of the Americas 3rd Annual Show, Dallas, TX
1985 11th Annual Outdoor Sculpture Show, Shidoni Gardens, Tesuque, NM
1985 Group Show, Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas, NM
1984 Opening Exhibition, Sheraton Hotel, Missoula, MT
1984 Town Square Gallery, Anchorage, AK
1984 UC Center Gallery, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
1984 People's Republic of China Exchange Exhibition, Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, Hangzhou, China
1984 MFA Thesis Exhibition, Gallery of Visual Arts, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
Selected Commissions and Collections
2016 Shyer Commission, Brandes House by Frank Lloyd Wright, Seattle, WA
2016 "Momentum," Art in Public Places Purchase, BMX Park, Albuquerque, NM
2015 "Sentinel," Art in Public Places Purchase, University of New Mexico Campus, Taos, NM
2014 "Twist" Fountain, 6' high bronze, Carol Ingham Commission, Santa Fe, NM
2014 "Breaking Point II," Stephen and Donna Schorr Commission, Pompano Beach, FL
2014 "Complement" Fountain, 6' high stainless steel, Eileen and Harold Brown Commission, Long Beach, CA
2013 "Axe Form," Permanent Collection, Robert T. Webb Sculpture Garden, Dalton, GA
2012 "Dialog" and "Breaking Point," Art in Public Places Purchase, 2012 Acclaimed Artist, University of New Mexico Engineering Complex, Albuquerque, NM
2012 Kvet Fountain Commission, Santa Fe, NM
2011 "Fragmented Walking Column," The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
2010 "Shift," bronze and glass garden sculpture, DNG - McLeod Commission
2009 "Lumina Trio," 16' high, Avalon Bay Communities Commission, Union City, CA
2009 "Twist" Fountain, 5'-6" high, Bresnik Commission, Oakland, CA
2008 "Dance Partners" Fountain, 22' high, David and Beverly Hosokawa Commission, Great Barrington, MA
2005 "Waldorf" Fountain Commission, Santa Rosa, CA
2005 Solomon Fountain and Bench Commission, Knoxville, TN
2004 "Manifesto '04," Site-Specific Installation, Sculpture Ranch, Santa Fe, NM
2001 “Dancing Curves,” 9' high bronze, Appleton Public Library Commission, Appleton, WI
2000 "Nocera Trio," 10' high stainless steel, Commission, Tampa, FL
1999 Stainless Steel Commission, Northwestern Mutual Life, Dallas, TX
Lumina, North Taos, NM
"Healing Partners," New Mexico Cancer Center Commission, Albuquerque, NM
16' high stainless, Northwestern Mutual Life Commission, Dallas, TX
Oro Valley Arts Council, Arrowsmith Office Complex, Oro Valley, AZ
Cheekwood Museum and Botanical Gardens, Nashville, GN
"Percent for the Arts" Purchase, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, NM
Bradbury Science Museum, Los Alamos, NM
La Cueva High School, Albuquerque, NM
Hyatt-Regency, Albuquerque, NM
University of Montana, Missoula, Library, Missoula, MT
Related Experience
Shidoni Foundry, Tesuque, NM
1997-2006 Head of Foundry Operations
1985-1997 Head of Patination, Quality Control
1984-1985 Production Assistant in metal finishing process
Restoration Consulting
Heritage Action Galleries
Trammell Crow Bronze Collection
Hilton Anatole, Dallas, TX
General Restoration Consulting - New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arizona
Artist Studio 1992-present
Educational
2016 "Power of Place," Lecture at Santa Fe University of Art and Design
2004-2007 New Mexico Sculptors Guild Board Member
2005 "The Making of Monuments in Bronze," Museum of New Mexico Lecture Series
2001-2002 New Mexico Sculptors Guild Board Member
1994 Guest Artist/Lecturer, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
1992 Guest Artist/Lecturer, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
1991 Invited Lecturer, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
1987 Invited Lecturer, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
1986 Lecturer, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM
1986 Patina Consultant for Judy Chicago, Powerplay Series
1985 Lecturer, Merrill Gallery, Kansas City, KS
Workshop, lost wax casting process, Alfred University
Education
1984 MFA Sculpture, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
1981-1982 Special study projects (Steel and Concrete Casting), Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
1980 BFA Sculpture, Alfred University, Alfred, NY