Have you met…Rick Briggs?

Rick Briggs, Painting, 68″ x 80″, oil on canvas, 2010

An introduction can be a wonderful thing. You can meet interesting people, and make new friends. You can be introduced to your new favorite foods, books, music, or artist.

I’d like to introduce you to some of my favorite artists. Some of whom I’ve been familiar with for years, and others I’ve only recently been introduced to.

The person I’d like to introduce is the artist Rick Briggs.

Rick Briggs, Blue Boy, 54″ x 64″, alkyd, oil and spray on canvas, 2009

Education:
M.F.A., Painting; SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY, 1990-92
B.F.A., Painting; Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA, 1975-78

Awards:
Pollock Krasner Foundation Fellowship, 2012
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, 2011
Fellowship, Edna St. Vincent Millay Colony, Austerlitz, New York, 1992
Fellowship, Bennington College Summer Arts Program, 1977

Rick Briggs, Through The Cracks #2, 66″ x 80″, oil on canvas, 2011

General Statement:
“My work moves between abstraction and representation. I’ve long believed that artistic freedom trumps signature style. But within the rubric of that freedom, I’ve sought to clarify ideas by working in loose-knit series bound by common variables.

Abstraction is my first love, and my years of working in that idiom has exerted its influence on my representational work. My painting process is open-ended; I can begin anywhere and end up anywhere, but there must be transformation. A painting can take 3 years to complete – or one day. The length of time is not important; it’s the conjuring that matters.

What I’m trying to do in my studio is to surprise myself. If I can make myself smile, or, better yet, laugh, then I’ve probably made a decent painting. Ultimately, painting is about freedom and mystery.” RB

Rick Briggs, View For Mary, 16″ x 20″, oil on canvas panel, 2008

Other material relating to Rick Briggs.

Artist website: rick-briggs.com

Jameskalmroughcut: Rick Briggs

The Brooklyn Rail: Rick Briggs

NyArts: Rick Briggs

ART BLOG ART BLOG: Rick Briggs

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