Michael Molly

MY RECENT WORK DEPICTS THE EMOTIONS INSPIRED BY MY THOUGHTS, EXPERIENCES, OBSERVATIONS, AND BELIEFS. THE THEME OF EACH PAINTING IS EXPRESSED BY STARTING WITH AN ABSTRACT BASE LAYER, ON TOP OF WHICH ARE TRANSLUCENT LAYERS, EACH LAYER LOOKING AT A DIFFERENT ASPECT OF THE SUBJECT. IN THIS WORK AND MUCH OF MY PREVIOUS WORK, I AM ABSORBED WITH SEEING COMPOSITION AS DEPTH OF FIELD--A WAY TO USE SHAPES AND/OR IMAGES SO THAT THEY RELATE TO EACH OTHER AS LAYERS ON TOP OR UNDERNEATH, INSTEAD OF ONLY RIGHT, LEFT, UP AND DOWN ON THE SURFACE OF THE CANVAS.

THE BODY OF WORK COMPLETED IN THE LATE 1990'S IS REPRESENTATIONAL (SCENIC), INTERWOVEN WITH ABSTRACTION. THESE PAINTINGS EXPRESS MY PERCEPTION OF THE SUBJECT'S UNDERLYING NATURE AND SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT--SUCH AS MOODS, SEASONS, WEATHER,LIGHT AND TIME--AND THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT THEY CREAT.

I’VE BEEN PAINTING SINCE CHILDHOOD, AND RECEIVED A BA FROM TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, STUDYING ART AND THEATER. AFTER RECEIVING AN MFA FROM NEW YORK UNIVERSITY’S SCHOOL OF THE ARTS, I DEVELOPED A SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS A FILM ART DIRECTOR--WORKING WITH WOODY ALLEN, PAUL MAZURSKY AND ROBERT BENTON, AMONG OTHERS—AND IN THE EARLY 90S RETURNED TO MY EARLY PASSION, PAINTING.

MICHAEL MOLLY’S PAINTINGS HAVE BEEN EXHIBITED IN GALLERIES THROUGHOUT THE U.S., INCLUDING THE SDWS GALLERY SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA; UCCS GALLERY COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO; CRANBURY STATION GALLERY IN PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY; GALLERY 323 IN PALM BEACH, FLORIDA; THE GENEST GALLERY IN LAMBERTVILLE, NEW JERSEY; LAPPIN PAOLI AND ART GOTHAM GALLERY IN NEW YORK CITY. IN ADDITION MOLLY’S WORK IS IN CORPORATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD, INCLUDING THOSE OF THE NEW YORK CITY FIRE MUSEUM, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY’S TOWER CLUB, AND ARTBRIDGE LTD. IN YOKOHAMA, JAPAN. IN 2004 HIS WORK WAS SHOWN IN THE US EMBASSY IN BANGLADESH AS PART OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT’S ART IN EMBASSIES PROGRAM. IN 2005 HE RECEIVED THE SPEED HILL MEMORIAL AWARD FROM THE WATERCOLOR SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO. ARTICLES ABOUT HIS PAINTINGS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK NEWSDAY, THE NEW JERSEY TIMES, ART MATTERS AND PALM BEACH TODAY.