Charles J. P. Podolak
"Pyro" Podolak really captures the essence of musket media by using several (medium). His favorites are pencil, pastel and oil. Originating from Colorado, Chuck loves the outdoors and his art shows it. His favorite media currently is oil, but does some awesome dabbling in pastel. Below is a small sample of his work (one of which I’m lucky to own the original) and hopefully more will follow soon. Thanks, Pyro. Pyro and his wife, Andi, also have their own websites @ teampodolak and artpodo. And asterisk indicates a Christmas card.
Pond on Kennecott Glacier*
Chuck Podolak
2010, Photograph
Taken in Alaska (June 2010) by Andi Vinyard. Check out their blog at artpodo.blogspot.com
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Caribbean Christmas*
Chuck Podolak
2009, Oil on canvas, 12" x 16"
Pyro says of this card: I have always been intrigued by setting something familiar in an unfamiliar setting. Seeing Christmas preparations in the Virgin Islands this past December made me think about people for whom this kind of Christmas scene is as natural as snow-capped mountains are to me. The painting itself is the style I enjoy - thick paint with broad strokes. Almost the whole painting was done with a palate knife and finished with a brush for the details. Check this out atartpodo.blogspot.com
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Remainder*
Charles Podolak
2007, Oil on canvas, 14" x 11"
Pyro stays with the city scene and returns to knives. Pyro says: "This is the second year in a row with an urban theme for Christmas. Despite the proximity to others in this small "big city" it is easy to feel disconnected from and forget about those outside our caste whom we pass every day but rarely see. I find the images of poverty and homelessness butted up against the wealth and power in this town quite striking. For this card I went back to oil applied... with knives. I love the rawness of thick, partially mixed paint on the canvas, but have yet to figure out the best way to convey that sense onto a card."
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Urban Winter*
Charles Podolak
2006, Pastel on paper, 11" x 7"
Here Pyro continues to hone his skill and uses often unforgiving pastels. In the words of Pyro: This year's card is a departure from the previous year's in that it lacks the natural world as a central theme. Instead of my familiar western landscapes, I chose to celebrate 1) the small under-appreciated city scenes from our new East Coast urban environs, 2) the idea of physical separation while still maintaining connections. These series of rowhouses are outside my Baltimore window and in reality are unbroken, not snow covered and not decorated.
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Embers*
Charles Podolak
Oil on canvas, 2005, 11" x 14"
Another great card but also a departure from his norm. Pyro tired to capture embers from a fire with an awesome background of silhouetted trees and stars. I like the entire picture but am very impressed with the trees and sky. From the artist: I tried to use flatter strokes and more solid colors, as opposed to the multi-colored bold strokes I feel more comfortable with. I was going for an almost woodblock print type feel. I think this image would make an interesting woodblock.
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Sawtooth Christmas*
Charles Podolak
Oil on canvas, 2004
One of Pyro's best Christmas cards yet, this painting nicely captures the awesome landscape around his Idaho home. If you look closely, you'll see the festive lights in the foreground tree and on the slopes. Pyro loves the outdoors and is fully enjoying his stay at Mountain Home Air Force Base, ID. Thanks for another great card, Pyro! Below is the photograph that sparked the idea.
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Copenhagen
Charles Podolak
Oil on canvas, 2004
Pyro is a traveler and this painting is from Andi and his trip to Copenhagen, Denmark in the summer of 2003. This particular locale is Nyhaven. There are about 4 blocks of cafes and bars out on the side of the canal. In mid-summer it is bustling with people out enjoying themselves. Pyro's objective was to capture the livelihood and colors of the area. Mission accomplished, Pyro! The photograph that sparked the idea is below.
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Indian Flowers
Charles Podolak
2004, Oil on canvas
This is a painting Pyro has kept from the public. He's used it for a few thank you cards. This was en plein air made with an Indian paintbrush in the front range fields of Idaho. He's particularly happy with the simple brush strokes and the relatively simple colors.
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Venetian Flowers
Charles Podolak
Oil on canvas, 2004
This painting is taken from Pyro's trip to Italy in summer 2004. He really enjoyed the window boxes with the drooping flowers. This was also an adventure for Pyro as it was his first experiment doing the entire painting with knives instead of brushes. From Pyro: "It was surprisingly versatile but gave wonderful texture on the wall, without sacrificing the full thick paint texture on the flowers. I tried to use the most brilliant unmixed hues on the flowers to really make them come alive".
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Snowy Kunsan
Charles Podolak
Photograph
Korea has a "beauty" all its own, but this shot makes it seem a winter wonderland. Being there is different. The ROK (Republic of Korea) has some of the harshest winters I've seen. If you search Kunsan on a map, it's now called Gunsan (switching Ks to Gs)...although it's not South Gorea.
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4 Seasons of Rice*
C. Podolak, 2003
Oil Pastels
Like come of my cards, Pyro departs from the traditional holiday theme. Having spent 2003 in Korea, he was surrounded by rice patties. Here, Pyro captures the changes of a single field throughout the year. As his year drew to a close and Christmas approached, the collage ends with a snow-laden field waiting to produce the staple once again.
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Christmas Boarder*
C. Podolak, 2002
Oil
If you ski or board, you know how happy this guy is. Snow and happy times - a good theme for his 2002 Christmas card. The snow sports in Japan are better than one might think and this picture (painted two years later) brings back great memories of our boarding times on that Pacific island.
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Snow Forest*
C. Podolak
2001, Oil
Have you ever done this? Stand in a dense grove of trees and look straight up? It’s a pretty cool effect, and C. Podolak captured it very well in this 2001 Christmas card. The first time I did this it was at night with a sky full of stars. Rather similar, the snow brings that memory back and nicely adds the holiday touch.
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W.W.A.D. (What Would Andy Do)
C. Podolak, 2001
Oil Pastels
The inspiration here is probably obvious - Andy Warhol (1928-1987). I appreciate Pyro's rendering - his lines. Aside from spicing it up with chunks, his loose style well captures the tastiness of the soup and his colors are bold - which almost always results in a more dramatic image. Warhol's cans were some what more photo realistic.
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Purple Pilgrims
C. Podolak
2001 (Redux), Oil
Inspired by Purple Pilgrims, a great friend of mine, Chuck Podolak painted this stunning rendition in oil on canvas. His technique with this work really shows the impact thick oil can have. I have to say he outdid me and the furthest trio of pilgrims conveys their expediency to a tee.
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Christmas Cactus*
C. Podolak, 2000
Oil Pastels
Influenced by his surroundings, Pyro gave the Christmas tree a little twist. He was stationed at Luke for this Christmas. Just west of Phoenix, Luke isn't surrounded by vegetation. In fact, aside from the palm tree, the most common 'tree' is the cactus. The snow adds a nice touch although it might just be white sand.
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Clouded Plains
C. Podolak, 1996
Oil, 14" x 11"
As Pyro's time at pilot training drew to a close, we decided to swap art - one for one. We gave each other the pick of the litter. He chose Purple Pilgrims and I opted for this painting. It reminded me of the great storms over the plains of my home state of Nebraska.
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-mm-
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