Bill Dambrova and Fausto Fernandez
Abstract Journeys of Mutation
Virtual exhibition of layered, brightly colored abstract paintings by two Phoenix artists.
Apr 6 - Jun 30, 2020
Bill Dambrova and Fausto Fernandez met while working at the Heard Museum in Phoenix 18 years ago. In 2001, Dambrova moved into his art studio at The Lodge on Grand Avenue in Phoenix, and Fernandez moved into the apartment upstairs shortly after. This provided them with significant time together at their studios, working out their individual artistic voices.
After both artists moved away and then returned to Phoenix, they made their art careers a priority, showing in numerous group exhibitions throughout the Southwest. This is their first curated two-person exhibition. Both are known for making large paintings, so it was a challenge for them to create smaller works for this exhibition. These works can act as sketches for larger pieces and stand on their own as tighter compositions too.
Even though their paintings are very different, Fernandez and Dambrova have a similar methodology to their painting process. Neither sketch or plan a painting. One mark on the canvas leads to the next. The possibility of ruining a piece—with many hours invested—can happen anytime during the process. They both have an intensely driven problem-solving approach, where they thrive on reacting to chaos with ingenuity and humor.
These studio artists also work in public art. They have each been commissioned by the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture to design colorful terrazzo floors at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. In 2013, Fernandez designed a 10,000-square-foot floor, titled Tailplane Patterns, at the PHX Sky Train Station on 44th Street, and Dambrova is currently in the fabrication phase of a 6,000-square-foot floor design, titled From the Earth to the Sky, at the new Sky Train rental car return station, which is scheduled to open in 2021.
Bill Dambrova (born 1971) is a native Arizonan and an Arizona State University graduate with a bachelor of arts in studio art. His love of art, artifacts, and biology led to a career as a museum exhibition designer, where he specializes in natural history museums, zoos, and aquariums. After moving back to Phoenix in 2014, Dambrova began working out of a studio on Grand Avenue and his art practice became his priority. He has shown paintings in local and national art galleries and museums, created public art locally, and designed site-specific works at Burning Man, East Jesus, and Meow Wolf.
Phoenix resident Fausto Fernandez (born 1975) is a mixed media artist whose art practice includes paintings, public art, and community engagement projects. He received a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and a bachelor of fine arts in painting from University of Texas in El Paso. Fernandez uses gestural brushwork and intuitive mark-making with fragments of realism in his paintings. Everyday objects, diagrams of technology, and technical instructional materials are used as design elements and as metaphors for rituals that provide direction in modern life.
For more about the artists, visit BillDambrova.com and FaustoFernandez.com.
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