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ASSOCIATED ARTISTS
OF THE INLAND EMPIRE |
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JOE PASTOR
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JOE
PASTOR
Fine Artist
Biography
From a young age, I developed
a deep appreciation and fascination with the human form. I was first
captivated by the visual images of renaissance artists I repeatedly
looked at as a young boy. At the same time, I was taught to work with
my hands on projects with my father. From model-building, and school
art projects as a boy, to rough and finish carpentry as a remodeling
contractor, I have continually used my hands and body to create and
build things.
My creativity was nourished by
an education rich in mythology and history; reading classical literature
and writing. After earning a B. A. in Psychology, I went to Art Center,
College of Design in Pasadena, CA. There, I had the good fortune to
meet Dan McCaw who continues to inspire my own expressiveness,
experimentation, and color harmonies. Through Dan, I met Steve Huston
an artist who has taught me about the subtleties of drawing and painting
the human form.
Now as an artist, I celebrate
this blending of experiences and classical education in my own paintings
of this incredible form - the human body. My pictures of construction
workers show the figure hard at work, bending, stretching and
straining. Constantly risking pain and injury these heroic figures,
build our houses, as we watch in admiration from a distance while we
drive past a job site or view on some do-it-yourself television program.
My paintings of Flamenco
dancers illustrate these performers in all aspects of their efforts
using Edgar Degas’ ballerinas as inspiration. From rehearsals,
practices, and performances, to the quiet moments between them, we see
all aspects of this beautiful and graceful athlete, using the human
form as a vehicle to capture what interested Degas himself so much --the
beauty of the human form in motion.
I strive to capture the fun
as well as the struggle in people’s everyday lives. The dedication and
the hard work of another person working on their craft. My figures are
painted rather anonymously, inviting the viewer to empathize with the
subject. We can imagine, or wish we are one of the people in these
paintings. With an eye toward classicism, but firmly rooted in the
contemporary, I strive to create images that all of us can relate to;
the dedication, the hard work of somebody else, working in their chosen
field of endeavor.
We all love some expression of
art be it music, painting or dance. And we all need a roof over our
head. My paintings offer a chance to get better acquainted with the
people who make these things possible. Using my memories of and
emotional connections with my chosen subject matter, I strive to connect
viewers with people we usually see only from a distance. Education: 1997 -’05 Workshops with Dan McCaw, Steve Huston and Joseph Mendez 1982 -’83 Art Center, College of Design, Pasadena, CA 1980 B.A. Psychology/Art Minor, St. Mary’s College of California Work Experience: 2005 - ‘06 Chaffey Community Art Assoc.; Vice Pres., presently Exhibit Chairman 2002 - ‘06 Fine artist 1988 - ‘04 Carpenter, Home Improvement Contractor 1983 -’88 Freelance illustrator & graphic artist Exhibits: Sullivan Goss An American Gallery, “Scenes of American Labor” 2005 Timmons Galleries, Solana Beach, CA 2005 Chaffey Community Art Association, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 2004, solo exhibit 2006 dA Gallery, Pomona, CA solo exhibit, 2002 St. Mary’s College, Hearst Gallery 1985 Art Center College of Design, Student Gallery 1983 Juried Shows: American Academy of Equine Art Fall Exhibition and Sale, 2006 National Orange Show Juried Art Exhibition, San Bernardino, CA 2006 Hilton Head Art League National Juried Art Exhibition, Hilton Head, SC, 2006 National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society “Best of America” Award of Excellence, 2005 Associated Artists of the Inland Empire, 21st Annual Art Show, Honorable Mention San Bernardino County Museum of Art, CA 2005 Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA 2005 The Allied Artists of America 91st Annual Exhibition, NY 2004 National Society of Artists 22nd National Show, TX 2004 San Bernardino Valley College Gallery Show, CA 2004, Best of Show San Bernardino County Museum of Art, CA 2004, First Place Millard Sheets Gallery, CA 2004 Galleries: Timmons Courtyard Gallery, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 2004 -2006 Sullivan Goss, Santa Barbara, CA 2005 Anne Irwin Fine Art Gallery, Atlanta, GA 2006 Memberships: Oil Painters of America Allied Artists of America National Oil and Acrylic Painter’s Society |
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JOE PASTOR FONTANA EXHIBITION |
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