Tom Pazderka ‘Dust to Dusk’ Art Exhibition at Silo 118
Giving a new meaning to Friday the 13th, artist Tom Pazderka opened his show of his latest 13 art works at the Silo118 Gallery in the Funk Zone on precisely Friday, October 13. The show will be up through, you guessed it, 13’s reversed number, October 31st (yes, and Halloween).
I attended the opening, having known “Paz” for over 10 years and reviewed his works twice prior. “The 13th,” I said, and he replied, “Date very appropriate for these, no?”
Indeed, his meticulously done works require one be of open mind and ready for the solid in-your-face issues he dares to address in a medium most pale to attempt: ash, oil, and charcoal on burnt panel. The process involves seeing from a totally blackened canvas to the varying hues of gray through white via layering, from a complete negative and works outward. This layering is done on board, sized six feet and up on both sides. In this show, he does indulge us in a few medium-scale works as well, which provided the artist an immediate sale at the opening, leaving 12 up for those who dare to understand it all and take one home.
Entering the gallery, we view on the left his Mother and Child portrait 44×31 inches, a billowing flow of brush-like strokes that create motion in two still figures, yet one feels something moving here and with it the child’s face emulates the artist! Directly across on the far wall is The Seven Year VVitch, 30x 32 inches with two V’s, depicting Marilyn Monroe in her famous billowing dress from the subway draft with a skeleton head of an ancient warrior animal adorned with horns, no, not elk, not moose, but the antithesis of Marilyn!
Other works such as Nostalgie XXIV and Nostalgie XXV appear to be cloud-like formations, a drifting of thoughts swirling. These works are 84×48 inches and en face his Nostalgie XXVIII at 66×86 inches whose cloud-like form seems more H-Bomb than a walk in the park. Wait, should we not be viewing these so close? Would not the artist be better served in a more open area to view these at a distance similar to viewing a watercolor by Monet? Indeed, the works take on different textures and shapes, letting one travel to one’s own points of reference, and that is precisely what the artist is hoping you do.
At the opening, Pazderka and I took 10:
Paz: “Can you believe it’s been over six years?…”
Me: “Yes, it’s been quite the time, however these works seem more formalized and contained on one board, looking more like black and white photographs… an about face from your earlier large-scale installation works with found wood you burned, no?”
Paz: “Yes, exactly… For me, I want people to focus on the work and my process of layers and burning. Do you know I started as a painter in Europe? I didn’t paint for many years when I got here, I was more of a conceptual installation artist. In 2016, I decided to paint again. Yes, this exhibit has my work more formalized on a contained canvas [panel]. Now it’s back to the image right away, not having to think about the images – like my process prior to these where I was more like a conceptual artist, struggling to pull the meaning out of those found wood panels I burned. I wanted to go back to who I was, to create what I am thinking, because deep down I’m a painter. I actually enjoy doing this now, whereas before I felt like I was forcing myself to constantly think of what the next move was; it was stressful. Now I can separate the two focuses, in the studio I paint, and then my writing is where all the theoretical stuff goes. It took two years to complete this current show, it does take time.”
And with that, we did a walk about the gallery and took some photos of him with his selected pieces. Do stop by, take your time, and switch up your viewing distances for the best experience.
Seen at the opening were co-owner of the Basic Premise Gallery Ojai Matt Henriksen, photo-video artist in Los Angeles ‘Alex the Brown’, Curatorial Assistant SBMA Fabián Leyva-Barragán, Jeremiah D. Higgins of the Jeremiah Show Podcast, and Nathan Vonk, Sullivan Goss Gallery owner.
Pazderka produces his works at his studio in Ojai, while also working as the new Head of Preparations at the Art, Design and Architecture Museum UC Santa Barbara, and prior was the Collections Photographer and Senior Preparator, Santa Barbara Museum of Art. He holds an MFA from UCSB, and is represented by Patrick Painter in Los Angeles, California and Bender Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.
