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Cole Morgan

Current Exhibition | Recent paintings on view May 2 - 31 in St. Helena

Cole Morgan’s paintings combine meticulous, focused detail with a sense of deep, open-ended mystery. Morgan’s shapes cast shadows, their rounded forms seeming to rise out of the painting: “A false thing pretending to be a real thing,” as Morgan has noted. His works hover between logic and imagination: gridlines dissolve into spontaneous drips; text appears almost legible, but vanishes behind ghostly overlays.

"It's a hard thing to do and be good at. Painting. Not just paint on a canvas, but something that I believe in and stand behind and ask acknowledgment for.... It has just taken a lot of years to get good at it, like it is with anything you set your mind to. I suppose that is my reward and my raison d' etre to go back into the studio and start a new work tomorrow without it feeling like a job or the studio as a prison. Being an artist is a lonely vocation. Nothing comes easy, but I love it. I can do a hundred things but this is what I do best." - Cole Morgan

Biography

Resembling enigmatic diagrams, charts, and games, yet situated just within the realm of abstraction, Cole Morgan’s paintings combine meticulous, focused detail with a sense of deep, open-ended mystery. Originally trained as a draftsman, Morgan combines his masterful skill in realistic drawing with an appreciation for the material joys of paint and color. Saturated pigments—cobalt blue, bright crimson, lime green—seem especially brilliant against his painting’s light-infused backgrounds.

Morgan’s shapes cast shadows, their rounded forms seeming to rise out of the painting: “A false thing pretending to be a real thing,” as Morgan has noted. His works hover between logic and imagination: gridlines dissolve into spontaneous drips; text appears almost legible, but vanishes behind ghostly overlays. Yet despite the apparent intervention of random events, each painting constitutes an exquisitely wrought pattern. “Every square millimeter of canvas is controlled,” Morgan has said. “There are no ‘accidents’ in my compositions.” Through his labor-intensive process of layering and re-layering, modeling and drawing, Morgan sets up compelling tensions between form and formlessness, abstraction and representation.

Morgan’s work has been exhibited internationally at the CIGE, Beijing; the Korea International Art Fair; Galerie Mia Joosten, Amsterdam, and Museum Laerken Nykobing Falster, Denmark, among many others.

Born

1950 New York, USA.


Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions

BVULGARI, Rome, Italy

B.D.B.O Advertising, New York, USA

Sterling Commerce, USA, The Netherlands

Exxon Mobil, Dallas, Texas, USA

Quo quo, Hong Kong, China

Landconcepts, Hong Kong, China

Hyatt Regency Hotel, Hong Kong, China

The Honorable Michael Klosson, US Ambassador, Hong Kong, China

Far Eastern Textile Ltd., Taiwan

Westin Hotels & Resorts, Awaji Island, Japan

Hallmark Cards, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Hilton Hotel, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Giorgetti Benelux BV, The Hague, The Netherlands

FMO, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij B.V. Assen, The Netherlands

B.J.G. Investments, The Hague, The Netherlands

Van Heesewijk Bouw BV, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

3W Vastgoed, The Netherlands, Belgium

Barents & Krans, The Hague, The Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium

White Lion Advertising Gmbh, Zurich, Switzerland

Credit Mutuel, Paris, France

Foundation of the Trocadero, Paris, France

Verwaltungs- und Privat-Bank AG, Vaduz, Liechtenstein

National Glass Museum, Leerdam, The Netherlands

Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen, Leiden, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

FinEdge International group, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

QPark International, Maastricht, The Netherlands

ARCADIS, Arnhem, The Netherlands

Museu Raset in Cervià de Ter, Spain

Dettmeyer & Partners, The Hague, The Netherlands and Pontaix, France


Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions

2025  Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA

2022  Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2020  Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.

2016  Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.

           Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Context Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.

           Context NY, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York, NY.

           Art Market SF, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

2015 Context Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.

           Art Silicon Valley, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Mateo, CA.

           Art Market SF, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.

           Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

2014 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

2012 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.

2011 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Campton Gallery, New York, NY.

2010 SF Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

2009 LA Art Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angelos, CA.

           Art Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.

2008 Campton Gallery, New York, NY.

           Red Dot Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.

2007 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Korea International Art Fair, CIGE, Beijing, China.

2006 TEFAF Maastricht, Galerie Mi a Joosten, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

           Art Milan, Milan, Italy.

           Kashya Hildebrand, Zurich, Switzerland.

           Museum Laerken, Nykobing Falster, Denmark.

           Oisterwijk Sculpture, Etienne & Van Loon Contemporary

           Fine Art, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.

           Art Cologne, Galerie Jorg Hasenbach, Antwerp, Belgium.

2005 TEFAF Maastricht, Galerie Mia Joosten, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

           Art Fair Den Bosch, Galerie Husstege, Den Bosch, Netherlands.

           KUNST RAI, Galerie Contempo, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

           Oisterwijk Sculpture, Etienne & Van Loon Contemporary

           Fine Art, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.

           Art Cologne, Galerie Jorg Hasenbach, Antwerp, Belgium.

           Kashya Hildebrand, Zurich, Switzerland.

           Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, Canada.

           Gallery Jones, Vancouver, Canada.

2004 SF International Art Exposition, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Art Rotterdam, Galerie Contempo, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

           TEFAF Maastricht, Galeria Mia Joosten, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

           National Glass Museum Ledeerman, Netherlands.

           PAN Amsterdam, Galerie Hüsstege, Den Bosch, Netherlands.

           Galerie Laerkin, Nykobing Falster, Denmark.

           Galerie Protee, Paris, France.

Press

PRESS

Selected Artworks

White X

White X

Mixed Media on Canvas

55 x 39 inches

25091

20 & Open

20 & Open

Mixed Media on Canvas

26 x 26 inches

25090

Cover My Numbers

Cover My Numbers

Mixed Media on Canvas

26 x 26 inches

25089

Cast

Cast

Mixed Media on Canvas

30 x 39 inches

25088

Exhale

Exhale

Mixed Media on Canvas

39 x 51 inches

25087

Bass Catchers

Bass Catchers

Mixed Media on Canvas

51 x 39 inches

25086

Concerto

Concerto

Mixed Media on Canvas

71 x 63 inches

25085

Little Bulls | SOLD

Little Bulls | SOLD

Mixed Media on Canvas

51 x 43 inches

25084

Not Orange

Not Orange

Mixed Media on Canvas

30 x 30 inches

25083

12 and 1 Bag | SOLD

12 and 1 Bag | SOLD

Mixed Media on Canvas

30.5 x 30.5 inches framed

24014

Plus Plus Plus

Plus Plus Plus

Mixed Media on Canvas

75 x 63 Inches

220270

Used Alphabet 2

Used Alphabet 2

Mixed Media on Canvas

26 x 26 inches

210656

Pearl House

Pearl House

Mixed Media on Canvas

17 x 14 iches

210654

Escapees

Escapees

Mixed Media on Canvas

26 x 26 inches

210652

Capsisions

Capsisions

Mixed Media on Canvas

59 x 39 inches

210651

4 Part Screen

4 Part Screen

Mixed Media on Canvas

51 x 39 inches

210647

Shrine

Shrine

Mixed Media on Canvas

39 x 28 inches

210238

3 is Out

3 is Out

Mixed Media on Canvas

39 x 26 inches

210236

Extrusions 4

Extrusions 4

Mixed Media on Canvas

26 x 26 inches

210176

16 Over Arc

16 Over Arc

Mixed Media on Canvas

26 x 26 inches

200081

Vert Over Hor

Vert Over Hor

Mixed Media on Canvas

26 x 26 inches

200074

Stick Tricks #3

Stick Tricks #3

Mixed Media on Canvas

51 x 63 inches

160150

Cone Dance

Cone Dance

Mixed Media on Canvas

87 x 71 inches

140704

Targets #3

Targets #3

Mixed Media on Canvas

15.5 x 15.5 inches

120727

Targets #11

Targets #11

Mixed Media on Canvas

15.5 x 15.5 inches

120719

Targets #6

Targets #6

Mixed Media on Canvas

15.5 x 15.5 inches

120718

Private Island

Private Island

Mixed Media on Canvas

31 x 31 inches

110216

Born

1950 New York, USA.


Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions

BVULGARI, Rome, Italy

B.D.B.O Advertising, New York, USA

Sterling Commerce, USA, The Netherlands

Exxon Mobil, Dallas, Texas, USA

Quo quo, Hong Kong, China

Landconcepts, Hong Kong, China

Hyatt Regency Hotel, Hong Kong, China

The Honorable Michael Klosson, US Ambassador, Hong Kong, China

Far Eastern Textile Ltd., Taiwan

Westin Hotels & Resorts, Awaji Island, Japan

Hallmark Cards, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Hilton Hotel, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Giorgetti Benelux BV, The Hague, The Netherlands

FMO, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij B.V. Assen, The Netherlands

B.J.G. Investments, The Hague, The Netherlands

Van Heesewijk Bouw BV, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

3W Vastgoed, The Netherlands, Belgium

Barents & Krans, The Hague, The Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium

White Lion Advertising Gmbh, Zurich, Switzerland

Credit Mutuel, Paris, France

Foundation of the Trocadero, Paris, France

Verwaltungs- und Privat-Bank AG, Vaduz, Liechtenstein

National Glass Museum, Leerdam, The Netherlands

Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen, Leiden, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

FinEdge International group, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

QPark International, Maastricht, The Netherlands

ARCADIS, Arnhem, The Netherlands

Museu Raset in Cervià de Ter, Spain

Dettmeyer & Partners, The Hague, The Netherlands and Pontaix, France


Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions

2025  Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA

2022  Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2020  Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.

2016  Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.

           Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Context Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.

           Context NY, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York, NY.

           Art Market SF, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

2015 Context Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.

           Art Silicon Valley, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Mateo, CA.

           Art Market SF, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.

           Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

2014 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

2012 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.

2011 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Campton Gallery, New York, NY.

2010 SF Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

2009 LA Art Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angelos, CA.

           Art Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.

2008 Campton Gallery, New York, NY.

           Red Dot Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.

2007 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Korea International Art Fair, CIGE, Beijing, China.

2006 TEFAF Maastricht, Galerie Mi a Joosten, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

           Art Milan, Milan, Italy.

           Kashya Hildebrand, Zurich, Switzerland.

           Museum Laerken, Nykobing Falster, Denmark.

           Oisterwijk Sculpture, Etienne & Van Loon Contemporary

           Fine Art, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.

           Art Cologne, Galerie Jorg Hasenbach, Antwerp, Belgium.

2005 TEFAF Maastricht, Galerie Mia Joosten, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

           Art Fair Den Bosch, Galerie Husstege, Den Bosch, Netherlands.

           KUNST RAI, Galerie Contempo, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

           Oisterwijk Sculpture, Etienne & Van Loon Contemporary

           Fine Art, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.

           Art Cologne, Galerie Jorg Hasenbach, Antwerp, Belgium.

           Kashya Hildebrand, Zurich, Switzerland.

           Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, Canada.

           Gallery Jones, Vancouver, Canada.

2004 SF International Art Exposition, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

           Art Rotterdam, Galerie Contempo, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

           TEFAF Maastricht, Galeria Mia Joosten, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

           National Glass Museum Ledeerman, Netherlands.

           PAN Amsterdam, Galerie Hüsstege, Den Bosch, Netherlands.

           Galerie Laerkin, Nykobing Falster, Denmark.

           Galerie Protee, Paris, France.

Resembling enigmatic diagrams, charts, and games, yet situated just within the realm of abstraction, Cole Morgan’s paintings combine meticulous, focused detail with a sense of deep, open-ended mystery. Originally trained as a draftsman, Morgan combines his masterful skill in realistic drawing with an appreciation for the material joys of paint and color. Saturated pigments—cobalt blue, bright crimson, lime green—seem especially brilliant against his painting’s light-infused backgrounds.

Morgan’s shapes cast shadows, their rounded forms seeming to rise out of the painting: “A false thing pretending to be a real thing,” as Morgan has noted. His works hover between logic and imagination: gridlines dissolve into spontaneous drips; text appears almost legible, but vanishes behind ghostly overlays. Yet despite the apparent intervention of random events, each painting constitutes an exquisitely wrought pattern. “Every square millimeter of canvas is controlled,” Morgan has said. “There are no ‘accidents’ in my compositions.” Through his labor-intensive process of layering and re-layering, modeling and drawing, Morgan sets up compelling tensions between form and formlessness, abstraction and representation.

Morgan’s work has been exhibited internationally at the CIGE, Beijing; the Korea International Art Fair; Galerie Mia Joosten, Amsterdam, and Museum Laerken Nykobing Falster, Denmark, among many others.

Cole Morgan
Biography

Press

Current Exhibition | Recent paintings on view May 2 - 31 in St. Helena

Cole Morgan’s paintings combine meticulous, focused detail with a sense of deep, open-ended mystery. Morgan’s shapes cast shadows, their rounded forms seeming to rise out of the painting: “A false thing pretending to be a real thing,” as Morgan has noted. His works hover between logic and imagination: gridlines dissolve into spontaneous drips; text appears almost legible, but vanishes behind ghostly overlays.

"It's a hard thing to do and be good at. Painting. Not just paint on a canvas, but something that I believe in and stand behind and ask acknowledgment for.... It has just taken a lot of years to get good at it, like it is with anything you set your mind to. I suppose that is my reward and my raison d' etre to go back into the studio and start a new work tomorrow without it feeling like a job or the studio as a prison. Being an artist is a lonely vocation. Nothing comes easy, but I love it. I can do a hundred things but this is what I do best." - Cole Morgan

Cole Morgan

"Although I abandoned the hyper-realist drawings on paper, I did take one very important element of that period with me to the non-figurative period. The use of shadow. The shadow is meant to give a credible three-dimensionality to the otherwise abstract forms. Makes them whimsical from a distance and adds just a little intrigue. A false thing pretending to be a real thing. And I'm going to let you discover that."

Current Exhibition | Recent paintings on view May 2 - 31 in St. Helena

Cole Morgan’s paintings combine meticulous, focused detail with a sense of deep, open-ended mystery. Morgan’s shapes cast shadows, their rounded forms seeming to rise out of the painting: “A false thing pretending to be a real thing,” as Morgan has noted. His works hover between logic and imagination: gridlines dissolve into spontaneous drips; text appears almost legible, but vanishes behind ghostly overlays.

"It's a hard thing to do and be good at. Painting. Not just paint on a canvas, but something that I believe in and stand behind and ask acknowledgment for.... It has just taken a lot of years to get good at it, like it is with anything you set your mind to. I suppose that is my reward and my raison d' etre to go back into the studio and start a new work tomorrow without it feeling like a job or the studio as a prison. Being an artist is a lonely vocation. Nothing comes easy, but I love it. I can do a hundred things but this is what I do best." - Cole Morgan

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