Gaston Pavao

Painter

Administration Building at the Redlands campus

BIO

My name is Gaston Pavao and I'm interested in many art forms, such as painting, drawing, sculpture, furniture design, and music. My background in painting and drawing started after high school where I experimented with different techniques and mediums trying to find my voice in processes and subject matter I connected to the most. Right away I was interested in the psychological aspects of art using free-association techniques and automatism to find images that appear through the medium. I enjoy putting marks down on canvas, and depending on what material is being used, seeing what images come to mind. I am interested in how different materials inspire different outcomes of the finished painting as we all evoke different emotions.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

In this series, I focused on creating paintings out of beeswax, oil, and mixed media as my materials while painting abstract figurative subjects that give off a visceral feeling through the texture and colors. In this series I wanted to feel like the material I was using had a sculptural process for me...and using wax allows me to build textures quickly without waiting for layers to dry.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have always wanted people to envision what they see in a slightly abstracted way, as well as have some recognizable form within the art. I enjoy the different perspectives people have while they look at my artwork. For this reason, I don't usually have an explanation behind what the paintings mean. I enjoy the psychological and emotional connection people may or may not have with the imagery and materials that are seen.