Artist Bios
Tom Greteman
Tom Greteman is a contemporary abstract artist who creates large-format pieces in various media. Some of his art is multi-dimensional and some is on canvas. Still, they are always thought-provoking and inspiring works. Tom has shown primarily in Southern California. However, since moving to Fresno from Los Angeles in 2005, his works have been on display at the Broadway Studios in Downtown Fresno. He has also collaborated with fellow abstract artist, Larry Hill, at the K-Jewel Art Gallery. Between 2006 and 2008, he was represented at Urban Home Furnishings. And just last year, he was part of a collective of four artist at the Gallery at the Park Place in North Fresno.The best description of Tom’s work is in his own words. “My art reflects the blending of line, form, and color. I am most comfortable producing art that does not state the obvious. The abstract nature of art is what appeals to me. While I am attracted to the mixed-media three dimensional format, some of my artistic expressions are better suited to oil on canvas.”
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Stephanie Pearl
Modern, contemporary artist utilizing acrylic and mixed media on canvas and wood to express her view of the natural world.
Stephanie Pearl rose to prominence in California, where she has lived her entire life, through a work that embodies the natural world and captures it with a fresh post-modern eye. While eclectic and varied with media choice, Pearl has blossomed into a formidable talent utilizing canvas and wood.
A native of Madera, California, Pearl has had a bit of formal artistic training, but is primarily self-taught, not something one would surmise after viewing her work. Initially raised in Madera, California, a rural farming community—the heart of the central valley and home to several mammoth produce collectives—Pearl soon found herself restricted and claustrophobic. After graduating from high school in Madera, she moved to San Francisco in 1988. Like anyone with considerable ambition and a need to create, Pearl’s nomadic instincts allowed for an enlightening—an artistic and personal awakening of sorts.
Spending much of her time haunting museum floors and attending gallery openings, Stephanie Pearl focused on what she really felt a passion for—creation. This creative fervor allowed for a fresh commitment to art. Influenced by many, Pearl studied Picasso and Segal, Rauschenberg and Dali as one would a sports or movie star. Without any real formal education in art, Pearl willed herself to the throes of the artistic. In such an influential location and in such a significant time for art, Stephanie focused on her experiences and created bonds with like people. Not until her migration to Fresno in 1994 did she begin to take part in what was to be her future.
Initially, Pearl manipulated the three dimensional form, constructing collage and box assemblage. These story boxes, while helping to fuel Pearl’s focus, seemed restricted and unyielding. After about a year, she meandered toward other conventional mediums—wire sculpture and metals, but quickly gravitated toward canvas and wood surfaces; and has continued for over a decade.
In 2008, Pearl felt inspired to share her love of art with those who were less likely to have the opportunity to experience the life changing effects of creating. With two of her most trusted friends, Andrew Watrous and Aimee Brantly, Pearl founded Downtown Community Arts Collective (DCAC). As far back as she can remember, Pearl has had a passion for working with underserved populations from volunteering at the Blind Center in her youth, to working with Fresno’s first Food Not Bombs grass roots organization in her late teens. DCAC has afforded Pearl the opportunity to give back to her community in a way that is not only rewarding, but relevant considering recent arts program cuts within the educational system.
Pearl has gathered inspiration through many, both home and abroad, but is now playing a somewhat different role as inspiration to others. Her work transcends the boundaries of “formal” contemporary art, as does her spirit parallel to nature.
To Contact or View Stephainie's Work, please visit her website: http://stephaniepearl.com