Stephen Pavlovic's Work on Display
The exhibition of work, which will be on display in the Brooks Gallery of Wallman
Hall from Jan. 7-31, 2008, presents Stephen Pavlovic's solo debut at FSU. His work
was included in the Day of the Dead Collaborative Installation in October 2007, so
some of his imagery will be familiar to viewers.
The reception for the exhibition and a talk by the artist will take place on Wednesday,
Jan. 16, 2008, from 7-9 p.m. in the gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
The words of the artist will give viewers a very good idea about his motive for working
and about the works themselves:
"When my children were born, I realized that I needed to develop a more stable career.
I went back to school at WVU in the special education department and began a nearly
15 year hiatus from my visual career. After I got my doctorate, I finally felt enough
breathing room to begin again, but I still had very little time and knew that I couldn't
just pick up where I left off. I began doing small, almost throw-away drawings at
the end of the day to get my skills back and, I hoped, develop a new direction. The
only rule was that I had to draw the first image that came to mind when I looked at
the paper. This process, almost a surrealist exploration of the unconscious, developed
into the drawings and paintings I am doing now. To the extent that they are about
anything, it is the process of association and the pleasure of using the materials
to a degree of unselfconsciousness that I was unable to achieve in my earlier career."
Pavlovic's pieces are witty yet serious commentaries on the human condition without
ever being heavy. His drawings and paintings combine a real world with elements of
sur-reality. That is not a mistake: his works are not surrealistic (although, as he
says, the process might be), but rather combine elements of the real and the fantastic.
Regular gallery hours are Mondays - Fridays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Arrangements beyond
these times may be made by calling or e-mailing Curator Marian J Hollinger: (304)
367-4300; mhollinger@fairmontstate.edu
