“As a guitarist— texture, atmosphere, landscape, harmonic color, and line all come together to form the whole. Sonic texture and layering are major components in my music. I am exploring this approach within my paintings, as one medium reflects the other.”

Tim Motzer has been painting abstracts for 20 years between concert tours around the world. The results, in many ways, illustrate visually what his music may look like.

“My goal is to express visually what I hear in my music. As I improvise with guitar—sonic texture, atmosphere, landscape, motion, harmonic color, and line all come together to form the whole. I recognize a similar direction in my painting—collisions, accidents, and densities of color, motion, decay, dream-like states, mystery, and space. I am exploring this approach within my paintings, as one medium reflects the other. Within both, I am searching the unknown for beauty, magic, and a sense of wonder.”

“I think my paintings have been influenced a great deal by traveling the world; these works somehow take on a sense of place to me. Each piece, while connected to one another, contains a distinct cultural memory. My music has this quality as well. It is inspired by where I am, the constant movement, the sights and sounds, and the presence of the people that i am near. With my painting, I work in solitude, and the work is improvised over a short time, sometimes a long time. I am sure sub-conscious memory, instinct, and emotion play a role in the immediateness of the process. I think through the blur of my life, all of these experiences bubble to the surface as a burst of expression.”

TIM MOTZER is widely known as an innovative and visionary guitarist, composer, improviser from Philadelphia. Over the last 20+ years of recording and world touring, Motzer has carved out a distinctive sonic niche with his guitar artistry collaborating with musical luminaries David Sylvian, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ursula Rucker, Burnt Friedman, Can’s Jaki Leibezeit, Markus Reuter, King Crimson’s Pat Mastelotto, and King Britt among others. His solo and collaborative projects are documented on his own label, 1k Recordings, across 43 releases—and still growing. In addition, in the world of contemporary dance, he creates and plays musical scores for international performance,  workshops, and The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Most recently, Tim is curating, 1k presents, his music residency at Arete on the Greenpoint waterfront in Brooklyn. Each month 1k presents spellbinding improvised work from musical luminaries from around the world.

Listen to Tim Motzer’s extensive catalogue of solo work and collaborations here: https://1krecordings.bandcamp.com/

Motzer is currently painting large scale abstract works 40in x 40in and 48in x 48in with acrylic and graphite on canvas;  in a variety of sizes on paper; and handpainted CD covers.

In 2018, he presented a series of Open Studios in Fishtown (Philadelphia, PA). In addition, his art and music was presented by Arete Gallery (Brooklyn, NY) in the exhibition Texture in Motion, which featured seven live concert performances (March 2018) along with his paintings. Read more here: http://1krecordings.com/tim-motzers-motion-and-texture-large-scale-abstract-works-and-music-in-brooklyn/

2019

JANUARY 2019
The Gryphon Cafe is excited to present
TEXTURE IN MOTION
an exhibition of new work by guitarist and fine artist
T I M  M O T Z E R

Gryphon Cafe
100 West Oxford Street
Philadelphia 19122

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For more information about Tim Motzer’s paintings and pricing,
contact: DeeHessler@gmail.com

photos of Tim Motzer by Olinda Del Mar Photography, and Karen Gross.

Click on any image for larger size, and description.
all images/paintings (c) 2019 tim motzer