Untitled (from: Black Folio, 1961)

Fred Holle

Fred Holle considers drawing not only to be foundational to art itself but, after experimentation with other mediums, his primary source of expression. In the 1961 portfolio of San Diego-based artists, titled “Black Folio,” Holle’s contribution highlights his natural inclination to draw the lines he envisions as directly as possible. A kind of ecstatic energy crosses the block. He uses both both manual and electric tools to find the correct balance of spontaneity and automation, and the final composition reads like path of an electrical arc across a night sky.

This image was included in a portfolio of 7 prints conceived, published and printed by Irwin Hollander in Spring of 1961, titled Black Folio. All the artists were working in the San Diego area. The 7 artists included: Don Dudley (born: 1930); Fred Holle (born: 1931); Sheldon Kirby (1924-1990); William Lumpkins (1909-2000); Malcolm McClain (1923-2012), Richard Allen Morris (born: 1933); and Guy Williams (1932-2004).