Members’ Gallery: May 2019

Works by Paul Tebo

Artist's Statement:

My work is essentially reflective, quiet - a kind of meditation. It is inherently emotional and thematically consistent. I have been drawing for 48 years and when people ask me why I draw, I can only say that it feels very natural and I enjoy the kind of problem solving it offers. I don’t use computers and feel it’s important to keep this art form alive even when faster, more efficient ways are available to create linear work. I enjoy the methodical tempo of traditional drawing.  Over time I have given much thought to what drawing is. It is a collection of abstract marks on a two-dimensional surface that is the result of the struggle between you and the object of interest and concern you are looking at. The drawing becomes a third thing and stands by itself. In the two and three dimensional visual arts, drawing has always been regarded as foundational to good design. As long as I have been working as an artist, I have found this to be true and see drawing as satisfying, not despite its difficulties but because of them. My work brings together and synthesizes distinct three-dimensional elements, e.g. heads, pieces of clothing, a bird or plant…. The process itself is mysterious and hard to discuss. My influences range from the Fayum mummy portraits to the work of Mauricio Lasansky and Leonard Baskin. I still look to the draftsmen of the Renaissance and French Academy and to the works of del Sarto, Pontormo, Ingres and so many others for technique and inspiration.

I have done a series of pieces on soldiers from the American Civil War and more recently, the wars of the past two decades. Some have found these images disturbing, but I maintain that the suffering of the soldier is an apt metaphor for the pain that inevitably touches all our lives. My work aims to put that pain in plain sight.

Biography:

MFA, Drawing - University of Arizona

BA, English - Rhode Island College

My career included many years in Rhode Island as a social worker and, following a move to Arizona and completion of a graduate degree, I worked in art conservation and as a drawing instructor. My home and studio are in Fredericksburg, Virginia where I reside with my wife.

My work has been exhibited in Rhode Island and Arizona over the years. Galleries include: Joseph Gross Gallery, Tucson, Arizona; University of Arizona Museum of Fine Art; Union Art Gallery, Tucson, Arizona; Glendale College Art Gallery, Glendale, Arizona; Providence Art Club, Providence, Rhode Island.  Since returning to the East, I had work shown at the Torpedo Gallery, Alexandria, VA.

Contact:  [email protected]

Shiloh by Paul Tebo (MG: May 2019)
Shiloh by Paul Tebo (MG: May 2019)
Clearing by Paul Tebo (MG: May 2019)
Clearing by Paul Tebo (MG: May 2019)
Unmasked by Paul Tebo (MG: May 2019)
Unmasked by Paul Tebo (MG: May 2019)
Recruit by Paul Tebo (MG: May 2019)
Recruit by Paul Tebo (MG: May 2019)
Aria by Paul Tebo (MG: May 2019)
Aria by Paul Tebo (MG: May 2019)