Biography

BOB PITZEL

Bob Pitzel was born and raised in the prairie community of Humboldt Saskatchewan. At the age of 18 he left to pursue an education in art at the Alberta College of Art in Calgary, graduating in 1971 with a four year diploma in advertising art. Having always wanted to be an artist, Pitzel admits that his being blessed with a good deal of stubbornness has enabled him to pursue his goal with a certain degree of success.

Originally interested in a career as a commercial artist, Bob came to realize after his four years in Calgary, that a smaller center was more compatible with his lifestyle, making a career purely in commercial art unrealistic. Returning to Humboldt he formed Graphic Ad Limited, a company which specializes in signs, screen printing, and commercial design. As the company became more established he was able to devote more time to paint for enjoyment, and soon became aware that a future in both commercial and fine art was possible.

Pitzel particularly enjoys the freedom of choice that the fine art field allows in selection of subject matter. This freedom, when compared to the unavoidable creative restrictions which are encountered in the graphic industry, is the main reason why he does not accept commission works. He feels that the subject matter must excite and motivate him and when one is required to work within another persons guidelines this level of intensity cannot always take place.

Most often the subject matter that Bob works with involves man made objects in a natural environment. This is a reflection upon the conflict between man and his world, displaying that in the final analysis, while man may exert certain influences, nature is generally prevalent in some form. Bob's subject matter originates from his native central Saskatchewan often including man made structures and implements. He finds that this environment provides an endless source of inspiration since on the prairies we are surrounded and conditioned by the weather, light and landscape. The landscape suggests subtle yet interesting patterns while the man made pieces illustrate tension between man and nature.

Bob enjoys working within the strict bounds of the watercolor medium, which prohibits change to what was first put down thereby encouraging a greater emphasis on preliminary planning. Composition, design and strong preliminary drawing is crucial to the watercolor medium which is meshed with his compulsion to produce and engage the viewer in an image that recreated a feeling experienced in the landscape.

Bob's work takes place for the most part in-studio, starting from an extensive slide library which he has developed over the years. When gathering reference material out in the field, numerous photos are taken of subjects that he feels may be of merit. Research trips sometimes have a specific subject in mind, but at times new subjects present themselves unexpectedly. His major pieces involve information and research drawn from anywhere between 20 and 100 slides of a subject. Often a second or third trip to the site of the subject may be required in order to complete the background data required. Bob prefers to utilize photography as opposed to painting on site because of the cameras ability to capture the detail of the moment as well as allowing for the execution of the artwork in the controlled atmosphere of his studio. As a painter, Bob feels that his goal is to continue to learn what visual information is important to the success of the composition as opposed to what is extraneous.

Larger paintings are usually planned for a considerable length of time, preparing in detail the mood, theme and composition before the paper is actually approached. Often Bob will do a series of smaller watercolor sketches of the piece to satisfy himself of the mental image he has developed and that the image will work when transferred to paper. In addition to using smaller sketches to develop major works, Bob also does small isolated studies of nature related subjects. He has a tendency to use these as a "fill-in" when he doesn't feel mentally prepared to approach or continue with a major work.

The absence of the human figure in Pitzel's work is the result of two main influences. Large amounts of time spent during his formal training drawing the human figure became a chore rather than an enjoyment to him. He also feels that his art is very personal in execution and the absence of the figure is a reflection on the sparse population on the prairies in addition to the fact that he enjoys the the time he spends working at his craft. When working in the presence of others he cannot achieve the level of concentration he requires. Most of Bob's subject matter is visual interpretations of landscape that local people encounter daily without noticing the color, details, patterns and light which are present. He attempts to articulate the monumentality of the prairie landscape which includes a fascination with the interaction of geometric vs. organic shapes.

Because of the great deal of preliminary work, and intense involvement experienced throughout the creation of a painting, artistic interpretation often results in frustration. This is particularly true when the finished product varies from the primary mental image. In all practical respects, Bob has found that he can assess the success of his work better and more objectively at a later date.

In 2004 Bob sold his graphic business and is currently restructuring his life in order to spend more time pursuing his career in fine art.

Last Revised: December 02, 2006