Artist Tom Pazderka’s solo exhibition will be up at Allan Hancock College starting on Aug. 24. Wander into the Ann Foxworthy Gallery (Building L) to see his work through Oct. 2, and don’t miss the reception on Sept. 2 from 4 to 7 p.m.
Pazderka titled the show All That Remains, combining paintings from two separate series of his, Nostalgie and Family Album.
“Making art feels like a drive, like an unconscious drive,” Pazderka said in press materials. “The urge to go into the studio and paint something is like a response to hunger in a way.”
The artist began incorporating ash into his works a decade ago after witnessing wildfire effects in Santa Barbara County. Long interested in nature, he blends ash and charcoal into oil paint on charred wooden boards.
In The Hike (pictured), an excerpt from Family Album, Pazderka imagined his grandmother in the forest with one of her friends.
“The painting is a form of remembering but also a way of exploring those images for myself and imagining those places as somehow becoming part of me,” the artist said in press materials.
For more information about the gallery, email Co-Director Elizabeth Russell at erussell@hancockcollege.edu or visit hancockcollege.edu/gallery/index.php. See the show Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This article appears in August 20 – August 27, 2026.
