Skip to main content

Rick Abrams (1959-2024) A Pop Master

Rick Abrams, aka; Richard Martin Abrams, a noted regional artist known for his unique acrylic and mixed-media collage shadowboxes, left an indelible mark on the art world before his passing in 2024. Born in Miami Abrams pursued his passion for art throughout his life, creating visually stunning pieces that explored themes surrounding pop culture.

Abrams's distinctive style involved applying paint with stencils and rollers/air brush/sponges to the back of clear acrylic glass, then floating this painted layer over a separate painting or digital collage on white styrene. This technique resulted in a vibrant, dimensional quality, allowing shapes, shadows, colors, and patterns to interact on different planes. He used his acrylic and mixed media collage shadowboxes to explore elements of mid-century pop culture.

One of Abrams's primary goals as an artist was to create aesthetically pleasing art that resonated with viewers. His work often incorporated nostalgic and humorous references from borrowed imagery, such as 1950s-1960s advertisements, package designs, comic book frames, and photographs. Talk bubbles, halftone patterns, polka dots, neon effects, and newsprint motifs frequently appeared in his compositions.

In the artwork below, "Twister" features two comic book frames with talking bubbles, set against a background inspired by the classic 1960s game (put your right foot on the blue dot and your left hand on the yellow dot). The colorful dots of the Twister board represent the complexities of the relationship between the two comic book characters, with their positioning mirroring the contorted poses of Twister players. The word "Twister" at the bottom, rendered in iridescent acrylic paint with mica flakes, adds a shimmering, eye-catching element, reminiscent of a Las Vegas billboard.
"Twister"
Acrylic Paint on Acrylic Panel
Shadowbox Construction, Approx. 36 X 36"
Signed: Rick Abrams, LRC

"Twister" by Milton-Bradley 1966

Abrams's background as a graphic designer influenced his artistic approach. He had a deep understanding of visual communication and used his skills to create visually captivating pieces that engaged the viewer's eye. His work was often described as playful, witty, and thought-provoking. Abrams was a respected figure in the art festival/fair circuit, regularly exhibiting his work at local and national events. He consistently participated in prestigious festivals such as IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, the DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts, and the Winter Park Art Festival, all in Florida. His art was highly sought after by collectors, who admired his unique style and creative vision.

Rick Abrams's legacy lives on through his remarkable body of work, which continues to captivate and inspire art enthusiasts. His unique blend of pop culture imagery, collage techniques, and vibrant colors has left an indelible mark on the art world, ensuring that his artistic contributions will be remembered for generations to come.

Notes:

Abrams at the Art Festivals and Fairs:

Did art projects for worthy fund-raising events and Newspaper Notices:
  • In the 1990s, Abrams created artistic clocks-Exhibit Notice; Florida Today, Nov. 25th, 1992. 
  • Red Fox Delivery Award of Merit ($1,300); Tampa Bay Times.
  • “Remembering Rick Abrams: A Pop Art Anthology” at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, West Volusia Beacon, Aug. 22, 2024.
  • Rick is a graphic designer/artist whose work encompasses a wide range of disciplines including engineering and architectural design. Coconut Grove Grapevine newsletter.

Rick Abrams, Digital Art, Deland, Florida: Digital collage shadowbox created by combining found media, objects, and pictures into a seamless multidimensional format.

©2025. Waller-Yoblonsky Fine Art is a research collaborative, working to track artists that got lost and overlooked due to time, changing styles, race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Our frequent blogs highlight artists and art movements that need renewed attention with improved information for the researcher and art collectors. The photos and blog was created by Mr. Waller and all written materials were obtained by the Fair Use Section 107, of The Copyright Act. #Rickabrams, #rickabramspopart #rickabramsfloridaart #rickabramsartfair #walleryoblonskyfineart
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Japanese Wooden Dolls: Kokeshi-Ningyo "こけし－人形"

This article is dedicated to my Japanese (nihongo) Sensei, Atsuko Kuwana, who helped me learn to speak Japanese. Collectors come in all varieties, some plan their collections, others start by chance.  I saw my first kokeshi（こけし） wooden doll in 2005 while participating in a grassroutes exchange program between the U.S. and Japan.  I was staying with a family near Nagoya and the couple’s young daughter had one.  Years later when I was named a Mike Mansfield Fellow from the U.S. government to the Japanese government, and was living in Japan, I would see them frequently at flea markets and souvenir shops next to the natural hot spring resorts in the area known as Tohoku.  Before leaving for Japan, I studied all things Japanese at the George Shultz Foreign Service Institute (FSI), including a professor that covered domestic and family life and some short statements on kokeshi.  After arriving in Japan, the National Personnel Authority ( jinjiin ) was responsible for...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCEL (Marcella Anderson) Torpedo Factory Artist

Marcella Anderson and/or Marcy Anderson (1946 - 2015) was better known as "MARCEL", a popular serigraph/silkscreen artist, at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in historic Old Town Alexandria, VA. She maintained a gallery and work space at the Torpedo Factory from 1976 to 2015. At the top of the stairs on the 3rd floor was this large light filled studio with a charming blonde woman surrounded by her silkscreens. In the early 80s, her work consisted mostly of water reptiles, fish, birds and environmental scenes. She kept with nature themes during most of her time at the studio. Her obituary stated: "Marcel was known for her bold, yet sensitive, use of color and design. Her images in all media reflected her love of nature. Her glowing color, both intense and delicate, was achieved through the use of transparent layers of color." Marcel was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and studied at the Cornish School of Allied Arts. Before arriving in the DC area, she had ...
15 comments
Read more

Walter von Gunten - Scherenschnitter Artist

In the 1990's R. A. Baumgart, wrote an article for the Journal (Wisconsin Newspaper) entitled:  Scissors Art:  the Lace That Takes a Million Snips.   The subtitle was:  For Sheer Intricacy, It's Hard to Top the Delicate Folk Art of Long Ago Europe.  Baumgart's knowledge was helpful in creating this blog. Scissor cutting art has been practiced in much of Europe for centuries, but the work has now faded.  It reached its peak about 200 years ago.  It was the people's art, and when done by the Germans and Swiss it is called scherenschnitte.  When accomplished by the these two groups, the work tends to be more delicate and more detailed in design.  Scherenschnitte was cut from single sheets of paper and pasted on a contrasting paper background.  Common subjects were fantasies of trees, elves or rural scenes. "Bird in the Bushes" Cut Black and Gold Paper on White Mat Board Framed:  Approx. 20 X 16.5 Inches Signed Lower Left:...
6 comments
Read more