Valerie Pobjoy, DW Marino & Scott Rohlfs

Exhibition: January 5-28
Reception: Fri. Jan. 5, 8-11 PM

Valerie Pobjoy
Onanism

“I was born and raised in Los Angeles. After receiving my education from Art Center College of Design, I continue to live and work out of Pasadena. My work is rooted in history, I draw inspiration from Dutch masters such as Vermeer, to French modernists like Degas. Down to earth portrayals of everyday life is something I find beautiful and aim to express with my own work. In traditional oil techniques I portray my world through intimate portraits and street scenes. I paint friends and strangers, amidst the subculture of night life and heavy metal in Los Angeles.” – Valerie Pobjoy

From the mannerists to the modernists, great painters have always used themes of their time to express themselves. When modern painters use classical techniques in the service of contemporary themes, it’s easy to forget that the masterpieces of the past are portrayals of what was contemporary at the time. Valerie Pobjoy is the spearhead of a new movement of figurative painters from Art Center College of Design working in this manner to produce classic imagery of daily life in the 21st century that feels both fresh and nostalgic.

Youth culture of a specific genre can be seen in stolen moments at concerts, on nature hikes, and in historic homes, creating a document of life in Los Angeles.

D.W. Marino
Burning Optimism

D.W. Marino majored in graphic arts in college, but dropped out after 2 years. His first job was drawing ejection seats for a defense contractor. He toiled at different scientific firms doing technical illustration, typography, color proofing and layout as well as some catalog design work in NYC and label design in San Francisco. Yearning for something different, he started working at a neon sign shop and this leap from working in 2D to 3D led to a series of bomb Christmas ornaments.

While making these ornaments his wife, Allie, was diagnosed with cancer. As a distraction, the two came up with themes for bombs and mounted them in boxes. “We’d sit and talk about a tiki bomb, a Hello Kitty bomb, or Everyone hates clowns…why not bomb them!” The list went on and on, becoming something to focus on that took their minds away from the stress and strain of difficult circumstances.

The “Bombardment” series became the artist’s trademark.

Marino’s dad was a Nuclear Physicist in the weapons industry and was a member of the Sierra Club, so the irony of presenting an anti-war message in sardonic drag presents an evergreen pool of inspiration that is as much rooted in his childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area and the psychedelic art of that period as in his own experience in the munitions industry.

Close observers will notice the tropes of record album covers, the colorful pop art of Peter Max, and the underground comix work of artists Rick Griffen, R. Crumb, Stanley Mouse, Alton Kelley, and Gilbert Shelton–all given a new, multi-dimensional surface and context.

Scott Rohlfs

Amurica, The Beautiful

Scott Rohlfs has exploded on to the scene of the contemporary surrealist figurative art movement since he began exhibiting his works in 2006. Born and raised in Northern California, Rohlfs was an accomplished and gifted artist from a young age. As a maturing adolescent, he discovered his distinct style and fondness for painting deeply personal subject matter. With the help of his supporting family he was able to devote his passion of painting to a full time career. His innate passion for expressing mood and emotion on canvas and wood along with his mastery of technique in the airbrush was soon recognized, in the United States and abroad. Rohlfs has been acclaimed as an exceptional new talent, praised for his authentic portraiture. His stylized and sometimes tattooed subjects catapulted him into the heart of the Pop Surrealist movement. His distorted realism drew attention from established artists, collectors, and galleries on the West Coast and immediately propelled Rohlfs to the forefront of a burgeoning art movement. Rohlfs’s stunning portraits have attracted an audience of collectors who treasure owning a rare, truly unique work of art. While his femme fatale portraits mature in style and intensity, they retain his signature ethereal quality that embodies an undeniably feminine force. His portraits always capture elusive moments in the artist’s individual perception and experience, viewed through his imaginative lens.

“Painting has always been a means of self-expression for me. Therefore, I paint because I have to and need to, not necessarily because I want to. Subconsciously or not, the figures I paint are a reflection of myself and whatever mood I am in at the time. Each mood is distinct, ranging from subliminal, cryptic expressions to more cognitive states of being and the eyes of my subjects are often the primary focus of expression. Although these surreal paintings are direct reflections of my own emotions and feelings, this style of painting also allows viewers to enjoy the freedom of determining their own interpretations of the subjects.”