Artist Statement
Bassett / Bradford: In Conversation
Richard Bassett and Donald Bradford began their personal and professional relationship in 1998. Working in adjoining studios in the Bay Area, the two artists developed an ongoing dialogue that informed both their individual practices.
Bassett’s conceptually driven work explored systems, materials, repetition and the passage of time through meticulous processes and carefully constructed forms. Bradford’s practice centered on narrative imagery, gesture, movement and the expressive possibilities of paint.
Their shared exchange of ideas and techniques created a dialogue between distinct approaches to art-making: Bassett’s measured investigation of materials and time, and Bradford’s dynamic engagement with movement and representation. Together their work reveals a sustained creative relationship in which each artist’s practice became a source of inspiration and discovery for the other.
About the Artist
Donald Bradford
Donald Bradford was born and raised in Yuma, Arizona. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona in Tucson before moving to California where he received his MFA in painting, drawing and performance art from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Upon graduation, Donald moved to San Francisco where he became the lead illustrator for a product development company specializing in home textiles. In addition to his studio practice, Donald taught drawing and painting at the University of California Extension program in San Francisco for 25 years. He now works full time in his painting studio and home in Oakland, California. Donald has works in the permanent collections at Triton Museum of Art ( Santa Clara, CA ), The Crocker Museum of Art ( Sacramento, CA ), Bakersfield Museum of Art ( Bakersfield, CA ) and the Palace of Legion of Honor Museum, Achenback Foundation for Graphic Arts, ( San Francisco, CA ).
Donald is currently represented by the Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, California.
Richard Bassett (1947-2013)
Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, Richard Bassett earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1969. Through the Great Lakes Colleges Association apprenticeship program, he spent a year in New York City working with sculptor Tom Doyle. In 1970, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he continued his studies at the California College of Arts and Crafts.
In 1986, Art News magazine named Bassett San Francisco’s “Artist to Watch.” From 1986 until his death in 2013, he exhibited with Triangle Gallery, Rena Bransten Gallery, Patricia Sweetow Gallery, and Jack Fischer Gallery. San Francisco art critic Kenneth Baker reviewed his exhibitions seven times.
Bassett’s work is held in public and private collections, including the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts at the Palace of Legion of Honor, San Francisco; the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford; the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento; the collection of Werner Kramarsky, New York; and di Rosa, Napa.
His estate is represented by Jack Fischer Gallery, San Rafael,
CA.