Tarbell, Rob

TAILS or HEADS
“Making smoke do what I want it to do.” Rob Tarbell

Rob Tarbell is an artist based in Crozet, VA. He has his MFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Tennessee. TAILS or HEADS at The Art Registry Gallery at TODD CHRISTOFARO demonstrates a range of work. TAILS depicts horses, elephants, acrobats and aerialists engaged in imagined performances. HEADS is comprised of seemingly abstract biomorphic forms inspired by Rorschach Test responses interpreting the imagery from “Generators” (colored ink works on paper).

Tarbell continues to master his proprietary smoke painting process. He burns ephemera, credit and grocery cards, junk mail, slides and even old oil paintings to create the smoke. The smoke is then tamed onto the paper. Tarbell controls the consistency and color of the smoke to create the desired outcome. The result is permanent relics of the smoke’s impermanence. The process is rooted in the therapeutic and cleansing process of burning photos and notes to recover from heartbreak. TAILS or HEADS takes the viewer on a surreal ride. The representational or abstract imagery floats on the paper. The paper floats from the wall in some cases void of hanging evidence. Tarbell leaves the lingering question… just how does he do it?