Hagop Najarian + John M. Sollom = August at PÄS

PÄS Gallery presents the recent work of Hagop Najarian and John M. Sollom in “Nhoj and Najar’s Serenade” opening on Friday, August 5, 2011 during the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk from 6-10pm.

Come witness the work of these prolific painters who will one day be studied in art history books, and what i call, “The New Masters.” Fatefully, these artists grew up together and went to the same school simultaneously from first grade through graduation at Cal State Long Beach with art degrees. This August, they will show together, side by side, their most recent works. In addition to the opening, there will be an intimate closing for the artists on Saturday, August 27, 2011 from 6-10pm.




Hagop Najarian is a working artist and college professor living in La Mirada, California. Since 1999, he has been teaching drawing and painting at Cerritos College and is currently the Art and Design Department Chair. In 1993, he attended Tyler School of Art at Temple University to begin his graduate study through their prestigious study abroad program in Rome, Italy. It was the Italian Fresco painting masters like Duccio, Masaccio and Giotto that brought clarity to his work. Through the influence of these Italian masters, concepts of humanity, domestic grounding and the joy of life became constant subjects for his work. In addition to exhibiting all over southern California, he has lectured about his paintings at seminars, panel discussions and colleges in the Los Angeles area. His recent series of paintings symbolically use human figures, animals and nature to create a dialogue that reminds us of how we coexist and maintain our identity in this world. Sensations of sight and sound ebb and flow as the images are fractured in and out of recognizable forms, creating a playful dialogue between humans and nature.




John M. Sollom, also a resident of La Mirada, California, captures Today like no other. As a full time artist, his resume of gallery shows in southern California is very extensive, as is the momentum of his collectors. His influences consists of Elmer Bischoff, David Park, Hans Hoffman, Frank Auerbach, Larry Rivers, Rembrant, Mark Rothco, John Singer Sergeant, Manet, Rauschenberg, Van Gogh, Vuillard, Bonnard, Lucien Freud, Ed Hopper, and living artists Hagop Najarian, William Zdan, Neil Blender, Tony Bach, and Theresa Pfarr to name a few. His most recent body of work displays everyday items—spontaneous pop-culture paintings that have taken an hour or less to complete… just like in his friend Professor Najarian’s drawing class. In the Serenade show, he also shares intimate family moments. John’s signature thick, loose brush stroke carries extreme likeness of his subjects. In his assemblage with found objects of daily life and relics of the past, he includes his own oil paintings making him the well-rounded Americana artist of today.

The Prince Family by John M. Sollom, 2011.

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