Angus MacPherson juxtaposes the chaos and absolute serenity of nature in his dramatic
landscapes, many of which are derived from the balance of ever-changing skies to earth over
his native New Mexico. As in nature, his paintings reveal explosions of color in which the
results are not necessarily predictable yet radiate possibilities in all directions, creating
breathtaking beauty.
A third generation New Mexican, MacPherson was certain about his commitment to life
as an artist from the age of twelve yet struggled for years, a self-described "student of chaos,"
working whatever jobs would allow him the opportunity to paint. The artist was able to devote
his energies to his painting full-time beginning in 1983, living and working in a studio on the
top of the home he shares with his wife and two daughters in Albuquerque.
MacPherson's acrylics on canvas embody many of the qualities of the watercolor he
first worked with: "The event is unique as wet color mixes with wet color. The results are not
predictable. When paint acts on its own, it can be very instructive. The artist will manipulate
the paint, but the random behavior of the paint may best represent the random behavior of the
world. The painter's job is to learn when to hold back and when to let go." Although he makes
no notes or advance sketches as he begins a painting and prefers to work directly from his
experience, MacPherson recognizes completion as he begins to paint less and look more.
"In our skies we see the drama in constant production. Patterns and chaos. Colors
constantly changing, cloud shapes of every configuration, with light forming lines around
them, or forming halos about them, or reflecting off them...patterns of rain that are then
disrupted by lightening or sunlight or landscape... Nature is never finished. Everything, every
event is unique. Our work is never done."
BIRTHPLACE: New Mexico
EDUCATION: University of New Mexico
EXHIBITIONS: Dartmouth Street Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
The Gallery, Roswell, NM
Pioneers Museum, Colorado Springs, CO
The Albuquerque Museum, NM
University of New Mexico Art Museum
The Governor's Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Concetta D. Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Impressions II, Tucson, AZ
|