FRANK MORRISON ART GALLERY

Frank Morrison was born in Boston in 1971 and moved with his family to New Jersey in 1980. A self-taught artist, he began his career as a pre-adolescent graffiti artist. As a member of a break-dancing crew, while touring Europe, he visited the Louvre museum in Paris and was inspired to choose painting as a career. His work is steeped in old world values of family, community and religion though typically rendered with mirth and high-spiritedness. The artist feels, he says, “tremendously blessed by the gifts of talent and family”, and the artist consistently acknowledges this by registering his “Thanks to God” with his trademark inscription “TTG” found in each of his work.

The artist, who often paints in small formats, has an enthusiastic following and has become very popular with young collectors. Notable collectors of Morrison’s art include Queen Latifah, "Earth Wind and Fire" Ralph Johnson, ED Gordon, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Casey Hampton, Verizon, Russell Simmons’ "Phat Farm", WBGO, NY Jets D' Brickashaw Ferguson, former New York City School Chancellor Rudy Crew, New Orleans Senator Gregory Tarver, renown actor/philanthropist Bill Cosby who prides himself on nurturing the talents of emerging African American artists, and Dr. Lorraine Hale among others. His work has enhanced the settings of televisions shows and movies "Just Right", "Malcolm and Eddie", "New York Undercover", "Cosby" ,"The Rookie" and has been a featured artist on the Home Shopping Network.

Morrison has received commissions from radio/TV commentator Tom Joyner, the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, and executed serially mounted musical scenes for the compact discs "Impulsively Ellington: A Tribute to Duke Ellington, Down-to-the-Bone’s "Crazy Vibes and Things" “Africa’s Straight Ahead”, “The Best Of Down To The Bone” “Ricochet, Richard Elliot”, “Def Jazz” “Paolo Nutini”. His artwork has been displayed in prestigious shows such as "The National Black Fine Arts Show" and he was honored and given a one-man show at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture sponsored by ESSENCE and Toyota. He has also illustrated over 20 illustrated children’s books.

Some of Morrison’s influences are Ernie Barnes, Thomas Hart Benton, Charles White, Robert Riggs, Ron Adams, Richard Mayhew, Charles Bibbs, Albert Fennell, Paul Goodnight, Carl Owens, Annie Lee and Elizabeth Catlett to name a few.