Rob Tarbell
Region: South
City / State: Midlothian, VA
My work is driven by the transformation and manipulation of
traditional and non-traditional materials and the exploration of
unorthodox techniques. The work balances accident with control
and gives permanence to the ephemeral. The absence of an
original and the use of elaborate processes are inherent to my
smoke, painting, and porcelain series.
All Ages reawakens the cut-and-paste Xerox collage culture of
punk-rock flyers. The unpredictable black tones of the Xerox have
been replaced by smoke captured to create an image on a surface.
Though fictional, the imagery is documentary in character and
parallels the balancing of accident with control, and chaos with its
orchestration. The process encourages and discourages the flow
of smoke, translating the photographs and collages into cover
versions of the originals.