November 24, 2011

Fred Tomaselli

Glassy - 2006
Leaves, Photo Collage, Acrylic and Resin on Wood

Fungi and Flowers - 2002
Leaves, Photo Collage, Acrylic, and Resin on Wood

Untitled (Expulsion) - 2000
Leaves, Pills, Insects, Acrylic, Photo Collage, and Resin on Wood

Ocotillo Nocturne - 1993
Hemp Leaves, Pills, Acrylic, and Resin on Wood

Expecting to Fly - 2002
Photo Collage, Leaves, Acrylic, Gouache, and Resin on Wood

Fred Tomaselli is a mixed media artist, with emphasis in painting, currently residing in one of the hubs of the current art world, New York. Graduating with a B.A. in Painting and Drawing from California State University in 1982. Fred Tomaselli In the aspect of spirituality, Tomaselli’s work most truly illustrates the debate between scientific and divine creation. His work often depicts the divine as agglomerate – including pills, body images or drawings, plants. On the surface, the materials Tomaselli employs project an LSD effect; consistent with hallucinogenic scenes that cloud the actual meaning of his work. Aware of this and the brief amount of time that the audience spends with the work he’s spent months on, Tomaselli reflects on the idea of collectivism in both the meaning of the work and the meaning derived from reality. His work is, as he says in a video by James Cohan Gallery, “a mirror” of pop culture, and of him – as I believe. Tomaselli utilizes his own hobbies of gardening, kayaking, bird-watching, and surfboard crafting to design and create his work. A personalization emphasized in our studio as a promotion towards meaning. His past in the California desert area leaves a reminiscence of theme parks “manufactured reality” and the psychedelic counterculture of the music and drug scene. The meaning in Tomaselli’s work may have been derived from historical and religious ideologies that were debated in his time. Today Fred Tomaselli is represented by the White Cube Gallery in the UK and the James Cohan Gallery in New York; continuing his work with collage, resin, leaves and wood in play with reflections of reality and history.

3 comments:

  1. its cool how this artist uses different views of the body and his creativity of the background around it. To me, it makes the art work look interesting.

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  2. I like how the artist is able illustrate so well the ongoing debate over scientific and divine creation. It seems as if he believes both are true in his works.

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  3. "glassy" was my favorite. like the unique style!

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