Photography
Bill ARMSTRONG
Bill ARMSTRONG
Bill ARMSTRONG
Bill ARMSTRONG
Bill ARMSTRONG
Bill ARMSTRONG

Introduction

Fascinated by the profound effect that color can have on perception and emotions, Bill Armstrong produces lush, semi-abstract, semi-figurative photographs. Working in series, he makes his photographs by taking intentionally blurred photographs of other photographs. For example, for his “Infinity” series, begun in 1997, Armstrong gathers existing photographs—of Roman sculpture, Old Master drawings, or film stills—and alters them in various ways, including cutting them apart or painting over them. He then sets his camera’s lens to “infinity”, an extremely out-of-focus range, and photographs these manipulated images. Explaining his process and its results, he writes: “Extreme de-focusing enables me to blend and distill hues, creating rhapsodies of color that are meditative pieces—glimpses into a space of pure color, beyond our focus, beyond our ken.”

Biography

Exhibitions

 

2019

 

    Bill Armstrong Selected Exhibitions in 2019:

    Aperture Photographs, Aperture, New York City

 

2018

 

    Bill Armstrong Selected Exhibitions in 2018:

    Turn it to 1, curated by Raechel McCarthy, Clampart, Artsy.net Online-Exclusive Exhibition

    In Full Light: Nine Photographers interpret the Vatican Museums, Palazzo Reale Milano, Milan

 

2015

 

    Bill Armstrong Selected Exhibitions in 2015:

    Buddha and Mandala, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX (solo exhibition)

 

2008

 

    School of Visual Arts, NY, NY, “Faculty Exhibition,” January-February

 

2008

 

    Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, “Mandala”, Fall, Date TBA (solo)

 

2008

 

    ClampArt, New York, NY, “Renaissance,” (solo)

 

2007

 

    Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh, PA, “Apparition,” (solo)

 

2007

 

    DeSantos Gallery, Houston, TX, “Spirit: From Darkness to Light,” (solo)

 

2007

 

    International Center of Photography, NY, NY, “Faculty Exhibition: About This,”

 

2007

 

    Robischon Gallery, Denver, CO, “Renaissance,”

 

2006

 

    International Center of Photography, NY, NY, “Faculty Exhibition,”

 

2006

 

    Houston Community College Central Fine Art Gallery, “Figure in the Landscape,”

 

2006

 

    Robischon Gallery, Denver, CO, “Blue Sphere,” (solo)

 

2006

 

    Parkerson Gallery, Houston, TX, “Apparition,” (solo)

 

2006

 

    Scott White Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA, “Photographs From the Infinity Series,” (solo)

 

2005

 

    ClampArt, New York, NY, “Apparition,” (solo)

 

2005

 

    Gallery Kayafas, Boston, MA, “Spirit,” (solo)

 

2005

 

    Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA, “Photo National,” Curated by Kate Ware,

 

2005

 

    Recontres D’Arles, Arles, France, “Sans regardes, or no eyes: looking at collection Dancing Bear,”

 

2004

 

    Hayward Gallery, London, UK, “About Face,” Curated by William Ewing

 

2004

 

    Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, FL, “Fresh Works,” Curated by Kevin Miller

 

2004

 

    ClampArt, New York, NY, “Spirit,” (solo)

 

2003

 

    Sara Nightingale Gallery, Water Mill, NY, “Recent Photographs,” (solo)

 

2003

 

    Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA, “Mandala,” (solo)

 

2003

 

    Culturgest, Lisbon, Portugal, Curated by William Ewing

 

2003

 

    Sara Nightingale Gallery, Water Mill, NY, “Fear of Flying,”

 

2002

 

    International Center of Photography, New York, NY, “The House of Light,” Curated by Bernard Yenelouis

 

2002

 

    Joel Soroka Gallery, Aspen, Colorado, “Mandala,”

 

2001

 

    An American Space Gallery New York, NY

 

2000

 

    Casa da Fotographia Fuji Sao Paulo, Brazil

 

2000

 

    Fuller Museum of Art Brockton, MA

 

2000

 

    Joel Soroka Gallery Aspen, CO

 

2000

 

    McCann-Erikson Gallery New York, NY

 

1999

 

    Gallery Artists Show, Uma Gallery New York, NY

 

1999

 

    Passion As Art / Art As Passion, Richard Anderson Fine Art New York, NY

 

1999

 

    Roy Park School of Communications, Ithaca College Ithaca, NY

 

1998

 

    Group Show, P.S. 122 New York, NY

 

1998

 

    Gallery Artists Show, Uma Gallery New York, NY

 

1998

 

    Posters American Style, Smithsonian Instit., Nat'l. Museum of American Art

 

1997

 

    Gallery Artists Show, Robert Klein Gallery Boston, MA

 

1997

 

    The Art Exchange New York, NY

 

1997

 

    Int'l Center of Photography Education Gallery New York, NY

 

1997

 

    Uma Gallery New York, NY

 

1995

 

    Candace Perich Gallery Ridgefield, CT

 

1995

 

    Dru Arstark Gallery New York, NY

 

1994

 

    Z. Affiches Ltd. New York, NY

 

1988

 

    Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University Cambridge, MA

 

1985

 

    The Field Gallery Martha's Vineyard, MA

 

1983

 

    Concord Performing Arts Center Concord, MA

 

1982

 

    Concord Public Library Concord, MA

 

1980

 

    Roger Harvey Fine Art Boston, MA

public collections

Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts

Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris

Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York City

Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, Massechusetts

Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, Colorado

Centro Internazionale di Fotographia, Milan, Italy

DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts

Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Lehigh University Art Galleries, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Musée de l'Elysee , Lausanne, Switzerland

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas

Museum of the City of New York, New York City

Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California

New Britain Museum of Art, New Britain, Connecticut

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia

Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California

Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, Florida

Vatican Museum, Rome

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

W. M. Hunt/Dancing Bear, New York City

Woodstock Center for Photography, Woodstock, New York