Rob Tarbell at Decorazon Gallery
Currently up at Decorazon Gallery in the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff is the work of Rob Tarbell. The show, titled “Meet the Struggles” and “Smoke Rings” contains two very different types of work. The first pieces you see are his Smoke Rings drawings in which Mr. Tarbell uses actual smoke to create the images which are of a circus theme. They feature animals with a performer of some type. The images bring to mind drawings by Degas and some of the Impressionist artists. They have a very delicate feel as if they might simply blow off the paper if one gets too close to them. They are also very photographic in the way Mr. Tarbell’s technique of applying the smoke to the paper achieves the finished image. “Flying Alinga Double Jump” is a wonderful example of the Smoke Drawings. In this drawing you see what might be a trapeze artist doing her act while she rides on the back of a horse. She is caught in the middle of her jump and appears to float above the horse as it runs around the ring. With the title of the show “Smoke Ring” and the images that appear to come from a circus, the use of the word ring seems to have a double meaning. The artist uses smoke, which brings the idea of smoke rings, to create images of circus performers, possible a three ring circus, for his images.
The other works that are part of the show are from his series “Meet the Struggle” in which the artist takes stuffed animals and coats them with porcelain, plastic, and resin to achieve the final product. He displays two types of sculptures; free standing and wall mounted pieces. The wall mounted pieces are a mix of two different animals and are referred to as trophies in the title of the piece. “Bull Rabbit” is an example of this mixed breed of wall trophy. It challenges the viewer to decide which animal should be the focus. Instead of “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” this time, it is a bull in rabbit’s clothing. The other free standing pieces are straight forward in that they do not blend different animals. “Boss Dog” is one of the free standing pieces and it brings to mind some of the works from China and Japan over the last few years. Both works are full of playfulness and humor. It also plays with the idea of elevating the everyday object and bringing it into the world of fine art, much like the Chinese and Japanese artists have done, but also the works of Jeff Koons come to mind when he did he series on kitsch objects and inflatable animals that he cast in various metals.
The show is interesting and is worth the trip to the Bishop Arts area. Mr. Tarbell’s playful pieces and play-on-words titles are a joy to see. The drawings have a much more traditional feel, even though they are created from a far from traditional method, and are wonderful on their own. The sculptures are full of humor and keep you wanting to see more.
Comments