Thomas McCormick Gallery

The McCormick Gallery is pleased to present its first solo exhibition of work by Chicago-based artist Darrell Roberts. Roberts grew up in Iowa and received a BFA and MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Roberts work is deeply rooted in the mid-century abstract expressionist movement. One of his major influences is Hans Hofmann but he also cites the phrase 'action painting' (coined by art critic Harold Rosenberg in the 1950's) as a major influence. Roberts sees the finished painting as an embodiment of action and physical manifestation where color is movement. Roberts works are drawn from various sites of Chicago's landscape. Roberts documents his experiences with photos he takes of various construction sites, parks and gardens; the canvases reveal his experiences with colors, textures and sites within the city. His paintings have as many as six to eight layers which together achieve the final result. Roberts refers to his style as two-dimensional relief, since there is texture with the color as well as thickness to the paint which often spills over onto the sides of the canvas. In his work Roberts wants to evoke a desire within the viewer to touch and even taste the paintings and to create a sensory overload. We hope you will join us at an opening reception for the artist on Friday, February 6 from 5-8pm.

Roberts' work is rooted in the everyday where landscape, architecture and his surrounding environment inform his paintings. Thick, richly textured surfaces convey movement and the tension of space, form, line and color are evident. Roberts has exhibited extensively in the Chicago area and trained at the Art Institute of Chicago.