"Inscapes: Illuminated Passages by Brian Portman"
2000-09-14 until 2000-11-26
Museum of Fine Art Houston, Glassell School of Art
Houston, TX, USA

Paintings by Brian Portman (born 1960) depict vast, unending passages that combine abstract form, emotional tonalities, and references to natural motifs such as landscape, ocean, and lush flora. His “inscapes” delve into the essence of things with a melancholy darkness and density that contrast with an uplifting light and transparency.

The artist achieves an exquisite luminosity and texture through gestural brush strokes and irregular grounds created from layering a mélange of materials. His richly colored work, often in dark tones applied in multiple layers against a background of submerged light, encourages the viewer to seek out the light source that travels deep into the foundation.

The Houston-based artist created new, site-specific works for this exhibition. Of particular note, Portman integrated a monumental ceiling painting into the 33-foot-high arched atrium of the Glassell School. Lit from the back, the work hovers in space and represents a culmination of a dream for Portman, who was a fellow in the Core Residency Program at the Glassell School of Art from 1983 to 1985.

IMAGE:
Brian Portman,
Untitled #2 , 2000,
oil and acrylic on canvas,
collection of Margarida and Penn Williamson, Houston.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Texas

Other Important Exhibitions in Houston