Rob Tarbell
Artist Statement
In my practice, making art is as much directing intent as it is about scientific tinkering. All of my diverse work is linked by the transformation and manipulation of traditional materials and the exploration of non-traditional ones. The loss of an original and the use of elaborate processes are inherent to the creation of the smokes, paintings, and porcelain series. The work intends to both balance accident with control and give permanence to the ephemeral.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2011 Krause Gallery, New York, NY
2009 Smoyer Gallery, Roanoke College, Roanoke, VA (October)
Gallery Imperato, Baltimore, MD (September)
Krause Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Absence and Presence, Rosewood Gallery, Kettering, OH
2008 No Mirrors, Les Yeux du Monde, Charlottesville, VA
The Struggles Play Nice, Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA
2007 New Struggles, ADA Gallery, Richmond, VA
Replacements, Art6 Gallery, Richmond VA
2006 Birding, North Gallery, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, VA
2005 Freefalling, Kirsten Bowen Gallery, Columbus, OH
2004 Bird by Bird by Bird, Gallery 111, Charlottesville, VA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2010 Krause Gallery, New York, NY
2009 Juried Exhibition, Brenda Taylor Gallery, New York, New York (2/26 – 3-7)
Washington Project for the Arts Art Auction, The Katzen Center for the Arts at American University,
Washington, DC. (catalog)
Black and White, Krause Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2008 Small Works, Krause Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Biennial 2008, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA (Mark Richard Leach, Juror)
International Exhibitions at Xian, Lian Bao Lou Gallery, Bejing, China
17th San Angelo National Ceramics Competition, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX
Aaron Gallery, Washington, DC
Washington Project for the Arts Art Auction, The Katzen Center for the Arts at American University,
Washington, DC. (Emily Smith, Curator; catalog)
Interrogating Beauty, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE. (Eleanor Heartney, Curator)
Zelli Porcelain Award, Zelli Porcelain, London, England. (Paul Atterbury, Sister Wendy Beckett and Tony Laverick, Jurors)
2007 Salon Selectives 2, ADA Gallery, Richmond, VA
Extremely Superficial, Dangenart Gallery, Nashville, TN
Yongsanh International Art Exhibition, Daegu Cultural Arts Center, Daegu, South Korea (catalog)
Loyola National Works on Paper, Crown Center Gallery, Loyola University, Chicago, IL
Emerging & Established, Les Yeux du Monde, Charlottesville, VA
Yongsanh International Art Exhibition, Chungpah Gallery, Sook Myung University, Seoul City, Korea (catalog)
Artificum of Humanitas, Traveling Exhibition: Shang-Shang Gallery, Bejing, China; Seoul Hae-Tae Gallery, Seoul, Korea (catalog)
Anonymous III, Washington Project for the Arts, Flashpoint Gallery, Washington, DC
Radius 250, Artspace Gallery, Richmond, VA. (Ragan Cole-Cunningham, Juror)
31st Bradley International Print & Drawing Exhibition, Bradley University Gallery, Peoria, IL (Judith Brodsky, Juror)
Art Auction a la Mode, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Drawing No Conclusions: Survey of Contemporary Drawing, Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, Grand Rapids, MI
(Dominic Molon, Juror)
Little Altars Everywhere, South Gallery, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, VA
2006 Silent Night, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
SCOPE: Miami, Miami, FL (ADA Gallery, flat file)
ART 212 Contemporary Art Fair, New York, NY (ADA Gallery, flat file)
Biennial 2006, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA (Drawing Award, Tony Hepburn, Juror)
SCOPE: Hamptons, Hampton, NY (ADA Gallery, flat file)
Group Show, ADA Gallery, Richmond, VA
Do Not Fold, Bend, Spindle or Mutilate, Visual Arts Center, Washington Pavilion of Arts & Science, Sioux Falls, SD
Montpelier Center for Arts & Education, Montpelier, VA
1708 Gallery Goes West, Capital One Gallery, Richmond, VA
Ten Reasons to Collect Art, Art Auction, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
2005 Small Works, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Faculty Exhibition, Sawhill Gallery, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Faculty Exhibition, PVCC Gallery, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, VA
14th Annual New Images Exhibtion, New Image Gallery, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Works on Paper, PVCC Gallery, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, VA
2004 Gallery Artists, LYdM, Les Yeux du Monde, Charlottesville, VA
2003 Art In Place, Juried National Public Sculpture Exhibition, Charlottesville, VA
3rd Photo & Digital Image Biennial, Wellington Gray Art Gallery, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC (catalog)
2002 International Photography Exhibition, Print Studio South, Charleston, SC
Awards, Fellowships, & Residencies
2009 Residency, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Amherst, VA
2007 Professional Artist Fellowship, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
Semi-Finalist, Trawick Prize, Bethesda, MD
Honorable Mention, Loyola Works on Paper, Loyola University, Chicago, IL
Purchase Award, 31st Bradley International Print & Drawing Exhibition, Bradley University, Peoria, Il
2006 Drawing Award, Peninsula Fine Art Center: Biennial, Newport News, VA
Collections
Houston St Regis Hotel, Houston, TX
Bradley University, Peoria, IL
City of Charlottesville, VA
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Selected Publications
2009 Yalkut, Yalkut. “Dual Perspectives.” Dayton City Paper, January 28, 2009.
Dillon, Pamela. “Visions from Fire and Earth.” Dayton Daily News, January 11, 2009.
Tourtillott, Suzanne. 500 Ceramic Sculptures. Juried by Glen R Brown. Asheville: Lark Books, 2009.
Studio Visit. Edited by Steven T. Zevitas. Vol 5. Boston, MA: The Open Studios Press, 2009.
2008 Studio Visit. Edited by Steven T. Zevitas. Vol 4. Boston, MA: The Open Studios Press, 2008.
Scalin, Noah. Skulls. Asheville: Lark Books, 2008.
Parsons, Laura. “Split Personalities, Artists Switch Hit at PVCC” The Hook, July 31, 2008.
Sommer Shallet, Karen. “Scene in DC.” DC, May 2008.
Fitzgerald, Brendan. “And Now for Something Completely Different.” C-Ville Weekly, May 27, 2008. (cover)
Parsons, Laura. “Smoke and Mirrors.” The Hook, April 24, 2008.
Yenke, Sara. “Struggles and Smokes.” C-Ville Weekly, April 22, 2008.
Roberts-Pullen, Paulette. “Peep Show.” Style Weekly, April 16, 2008.
Strickler, Whitney. “The Smokes.” Art Park Blog, http://artpark.typepad.com/artblog, April 15, 2008.
Parsons, Laura. “Crispy Critters, Tarbell Smiles Through Struggles.” The Hook, February 7, 2008.
Nieman Culpepper, Carrie. “Ones to Watch: Emerging Local Artists to Collect Before It’s Too Late.”
R-Home Magazine, February 2008.
Latter, Ruth. “Kim Puts New Face on Second Street.” The Daily Progress, February 14, 2008.
Campello, Lenny. Daily Campello Art News. http://dcartnews.blogspot.com, (accessed January 2008).
Capozzi, Ben. Visual Art Splash. http://www.bencapozzi.com/BenCapozzi.com/NEWS, (accessed February 2008). Craghead, Warren. Drawer. http://www.wcraghead.com/weblog/blog.html, (accessed January 30, 2008).
Studio Visit. Edited by Steven T. Zevitas. Vol 1. Boston, MA: The Open Studios Press, 2008.
2007 Mauer, David A. “Some Enchanted Evening.” The Daily Progress, December 13, 2007.
Kenyon, Theo Jean. “Paper Creations.” Peoria Journal Star, March 4, 2007.
Proctor, Roy. “Smoke Signals.” Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 18, 2007.
Hershey, Greg. “Smoke’em If You Got’em.” Brick Weekly, February 1, 2007.
Latter, Ruth. “Piedmont Is Really Driven by Altars.” The Daily Progress, February 1, 2007..
Parsons, Laura. “Praiseworthy, PVCC Offers Artful Altars.” The Hook, January 25, 2007.
2006 National Drawing Annual, 2006. Edited by Jason Franz. Cincinnati, OH: Manifest Creative Research Gallery– Manifest Press, 2006.
Latter, Ruth. “Piedmont Soars as New Year Opens.” The Daily Progress, September 7, 2006.
Parsons, Laura. “Creative Evolution: Watching Two Artists Push Forward.” The Hook, September 21, 2006.
Sherman, Linda. “Culture Vulture,” editorial cartoon, The Hook, May 25, 2006.
2005 Latter, Ruth. “Drawn into the Surprises of Motherhood” Daily Progress, November 10, 2005.
Latter, Ruth. “Experiments Open Impressive Paper Trail.” Daily Progress, January 27, 2005.
2004 Parsons, Laura. “Flight Lines: Rob Tarbell Takes Off.” The Hook, November 5, 2004.
Fain, Paul. “Here Comes the Sun.” C-Ville Weekly, October 26, 2004.
2003 Stuart, Courteney. “Art in Face.” The Hook, December 11, 2003.
Education
MFA Drawing & Painting, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
BFA Painting & Graphic Design, Auburn University, Auburn, AL