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Waterfall 1

Main content start
Waterfall II

Tom Orr
Printmaking
2008

Academy Hall, Second Floor

Tom Orr, born in 1950 and based in Texas, is a contemporary artist known for his geometric sculptures, installations and etchings. Though his art is distilled to geometric forms, he creates multidimensionality through a strategic layering of shapes, lines, and patterns. In his large scale sculptures, Orr uses plastic, print, Plexiglas, aluminum, wood, wire, that, with the addition of light and shadow, expand and contract as the viewer changes their perspective. His ability to create movement transfers to his 2D etchings, where he morphs simple lines into dynamic compositions. 
 
With hand drawn lines overlaying a field of narrow, vertical stripes; Tom Orr’s Waterfall prints capture the sense of movement and space of a cascade. Shimmering moiré patterns (silk fabric that has been subjected to heat and pressure rollers after weaving to give it a rippled appearance), and subtle tonal differentiations between the two sets of lines enhance this dynamic visual phenomenon. Orr has previously explored this theme in gallery-based installations and public sculpture commissions, and the Waterfall series are his first published print editions.
 
Orr received his BFA from The Rhode Island School of Design in 1973. His work has been exhibited by leading galleries and museums including The Dallas Museum of Art and collected by major institutions including The El Paso Museum of Art. He has received many awards including The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2011), The Exhibition Prize at the Kobe Biennale (2011), and The Best of Show Hanley Award at The McKinney Avenue Contemporary Biennial (2001).