Featured Event | The Signature Gallery: Charles Pabst

Scottsdale, AZ
March 20-22

Charles Pabst, Mystic Waters, oil, 30 x 60.

This story was featured in the March 2014 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art March 2014 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

Vibrant landscapes, colorful cultures, bustling city streets swarming with life—all are captivating in the eyes of Arizona-based painter Charles Pabst. Raised in a family of avid travelers and arts enthusiasts, Pabst became fascinated with the natural beauty of the planet at a very early age, and when he was 12 years old he began painting the wonders he saw all around him. Today he continues to travel the world, observing and photographing the landscapes and culture of the people, caching away memories that will later inspire his paintings. “I think of myself as a destination painter,” he says. “I like to travel to new places and then share my experiences through my art.” Pabst has been painting his splendorous visions of the world for five decades now. This month he celebrates his 50th year as a professional artist with a solo show and retrospective at The Signature Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ.

The show opens with a reception on March 20 from 7 to 9 p.m. and features 40 to 50 works that span the artist’s entire career, from one of the first paintings he ever completed to several brand-new pieces. “The paintings in the show feature a variety of places that have made an impression on me over the years,” Pabst says. These places include the American Southwest, Paris, Greece, Hawaii, Vermont, Venice, and more.

Charles Pabst, Tranquil Path, oil, 48 x 72.

Throughout his 50 years as an artist, Pabst has never limited himself to a particular subject or style. “It’s about what I enjoy doing most at the time,” he says. These days, he’s been reveling in lots of texture, which he achieves with extensive use of palette knives. “I used to work with brushes only, but in recent years I’ve moved to using palette knives a lot more,” he says. Of course, many aspects of his work have remained constant over the years—including his use of strikingly bold colors, dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, and powerful visual harmonies.

Reflecting on his long career, Pabst says his work today isn’t necessarily better, just different. “That’s the thing about art,” he muses. “It’s always appreciated in the eye of the beholder.”
—Lindsay Mitchell