"Who Cares II" by Peter Manion

Mixed media on paper

22" x 30" Framed

Since receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and after a ten year hiatus, Peter Manion has been pushing the creative envelope in the St. Louis contemporary art world. Manion's emphatic strokes and subject matter offset a playful use of material, style, and sense of humor. His use of color and frenetic forms complement a bold use of abstract mark-making.

After completing his residency at La Fragua in Spain, Manion was moved to create works that could exist outside of the traditional studio walls. Since then, his body of work has shifted from canvas to felt and plaster - and has a much more minimalist feel.

Manion's work is diverse and moving. His use of non-traditional methods, materials, and practices gives his work an animative quality, lending variance and movement to what once was undisturbed brings the work closer to the idea of a living object. His sculptures represent transformation and decay, challenging the idea of art as only static beauty.

Manion has been the recipient of multiple awards, including an Award of Excellence at Art Saint Louis and the Judge's Award of Merit at Kranzberg Arts Center. He has completed residencies at La Fragua in Belalcazar, Spain, and the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont.

His most recent exhibitions include Universal Turf at the World Chess Hall of Fame, St. Louis, Missouri; Next Playground at Ace Hotel, Chicago, Illinois; La Fragua to Vermont: Works on Paper at Houska Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri; and Post at Folder Gallery, Ridgewood, New York.