Nick Morris

Born in 1966, Ballarat Australia. I work on combined canvas's with David Bowers. I live in Torquay, a surf town in the south east of Australia about 1 hour from Melbourne.

NICK MORRIS & DAVE BOWERS
Present
DOUG BARTLETT

Doug Bartlett is the name given to the energy created when Nick Morris and Dave Bowers work together on the same canvas.

We open up the roller door to the garage in Torquay and let rip. With a few beers, and the music turned up, we throw ourselves into the canvases. Slabs of colour are slapped down haphazardly and images are layered on at random. A lot of this initial work wont survive the painting process because we have a rule that says: you can paint over anything, and the other one cant protest. Whole vistas appear and disappear. Hours of work can be swept away with one brutal sweep of a brush. Doug has entered the building is the only explanation required.
This process, which is confronting as well as cleansing, continues until we both agree the painting is finished. Working this way creates a feverish momentum, and we can be working on up to forty paintings at a time.
The canvases are a free-flowing exchange of random images and themes, and are applied using stencils, spray p...

NICK MORRIS and DAVE BOWERS

Nick Morris and Dave Bowers graduated from Monash University (Caulfield) in 1986, both with Diplomas in Graphic Design.

They have worked together in the Street / Surf / Art subculture since creating clothing label UMGAWA in 1990.

After selling the UMGAWA label, Morris worked as art director for Quiksilver. He then launched anyhow, his own freelance design company in Torquay.

Bowers became a regular Mambo artist, as well as working as an illustrator and musician.

Between them they have produced, and continue to produce, art for brands such as Paul Frank, Stussy, Mossimo, Lee, Globe, and St. Lenny.

They were guest speakers at the prestigious Semi Permanent Art and Design conference 06 in Sydney and Perth. Their work was profiled in Desktop Magazine (Jan/Feb 07), and their painting THE GAMBLER, only the third canvas they ever painted together, featured on the cover. They are also profiled in King Brown magazine (issue No1).

Their combined canvases at ART MELBOURNE 07 sold out in two days.
This was the first time they had shown them in Melbourne.

Their most recent exhibition at Fresh Gallery in Melbourne was also a huge hit with collectors buying...