website:pavelmuller.com/

  

ARTIST STATEMENT

 

I started out as a landscape photographer fascinated by the beauty I observed around me as I canoed in the remote parts of Algonquin Park, Killarney Park and the Temagami area in Ontario, Canada. For a kid who grew up in densely populated Bohemia, what I saw in Canada felt like a miracle and helped me feel comfortable in my adopted home.

 

I also photographed flowers and in fact anything that captivated my interest. Over time, my interest shifted towards cityscapes, collages, and abstracts. After retirement, I wanted to discover the world outside of science, where my education, parents and work experience had led me until then, and learn more about art - an area I knew nothing about.

 

The self-directed learning made me appreciate the enormous strides art has made from the late 19th century to the late 20th century. The ascendance of photography freed painters from the need to create “realistic” portraits and biblical scenes sponsored by the clergy and nobility; visual art blossomed. I admire what modern artists have accomplished and I draw my inspiration from their work. I do not aspire to present reality, although I sometimes do just that. I aim to notice small gems hidden in plain sight and I use digital manipulation to build on or to subvert reality to create images that surprise me and that explore something I never thought of before. I like images that stimulate my thoughts, emotions and sense of humor and that convey some of my views and interests. I am currently fascinated by fairly minimalistic images of seemingly mundane objects and the interplay between 2-dimensional graphic design and reality.

 

I see myself on the road of discovery, where gains in appreciation, knowledge and understanding of art are my primary goals and the images I create are a byproduct of my learning process. As a consequence, I hope that I and my work will continue to evolve for as long as I am a photographer.

  

BIO

 

Representation

 

2019 - 2020. Represented by Viridian Artists, a Manhattan art gallery where I exhibited twice before in juried exhibitions.

  

Exhibitions

  

2020

 

Viridian Artists, Manhattan, “ALONE TOGETHER” ARTISTS WORKING COLLABORATIVELY 3 images viridianartist.com/upcoming-show

 

Viridian Artists, Manhattan, Sanguine Expectations, 4 Images viridianartist.com/virtual-gallery/2020/7/20/sanguine-exp...

 

Viridian Artists, Manhattan, Apocalypse Now?, 3 Images (viridianartist.com/virtual-gallery/2020/5/3/apocalypse-no...)

 

Viridian Artists, Manhattan, Members Only group exhibition, 1 image

 

SNAP! Art auction and exhibition. Images are jury selected. 1 image

  

2019

 

Viridian Artists International Juried show. Vernita Nemec juror 1 image

 

CICA Museum, Seoul, International Juried show. 5 images

 

Site:Brooklyn Gallery, International Juried show. Donna Harkavy - juror. 1 image

  

2017

 

L”Espace Contemporain, Montreal art gallery juried show 10 images

 

SNAP! Art auction and exhibition. Images are jury selected. 1 Award of Merit, 2 images

 

Viridian Artists International Juried show. Juror - Susan Thompson, assistant curator, Guggenheim Museum. 1 image

 

Le Dame Art Gallery, London International Juried show. 2 images

  

2016

 

Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. Toronto. Exhibiting with the artists from the Toronto Focal Forum. 2 images

 

Emergence Show Dylan Ellis Gallery, Toronto December group show. 4 images

 

CNE/TWAC Juried show CNE 2016, Artworld Fine Art Gallery 1 image

  

2012

 

Galleries at Meaford 2012 A group exhibition with the Toronto Focal Forum Displayed 2 images

  

2011

 

Cawah Arts Gallery, Hong Kong by invitation Dozens of images.

 

Ethel Curry Gallery, Haliburton 2011-2018 Dozens of images, selling regularly

 

Artists Walk Village Square, Burlington 2011-2014 several images

  

Publications

 

Aubade Magazine Issue 7, December 2011 Invited contribution

 

Global and Mail August 26, 2013 winner of reader assignment

 

Photo News Vol 24 No. 4 Winter 2015-2016

 

Toronto Guardian torontoguardian.com/2017/02/photographer-pavel-muller/, Feb 16, 2017

 

Judging

 

For many years, accredited judge for Toronto area club competitions. I also judged international competitions taking place in Toronto.

  

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All photos are copyrighted and you may not download and/Or modify and/Or distribute in any form any of the images without a written permission from me

 

photos posted here are available for sale.

They are provided with a matt and the photos are signed and come with a short description of the artist and some artist's notes about the photo. Please inquire about specifics

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Showcase

Testimonials

Pavel, let me be honest - it was only today that I came across your portfolio, but you did not need too long "to get me"... Plainly speaking: Yours is "really good stuff"! You are a man with "The Eye" [and without it no real photography - no pun intended!]. On top of that you have a wonderful sense for light and mo… Read more

Pavel, let me be honest - it was only today that I came across your portfolio, but you did not need too long "to get me"... Plainly speaking: Yours is "really good stuff"! You are a man with "The Eye" [and without it no real photography - no pun intended!]. On top of that you have a wonderful sense for light and movement. Which is a rare gift... Let's have a look, old boy, [being 71 myself I hope you won't be cross with me] what we have in stock and might show each other. Take care! Dieter

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January 29, 2021

Pavel has a superb and keen eye for photography. Anyone viewing his photostream would attest to that. He masterfully conceptualizes his shot in his mind's eye before executing it to perfection. I've benefited from Pavel's honest, insightful, and genuine feedback on my work. I truly appreciate his willingness to provide… Read more

Pavel has a superb and keen eye for photography. Anyone viewing his photostream would attest to that. He masterfully conceptualizes his shot in his mind's eye before executing it to perfection. I've benefited from Pavel's honest, insightful, and genuine feedback on my work. I truly appreciate his willingness to provide both positive and negative feedback, both of which I believe, are critical for one to continue to strive to do better. He is also generous with his time, sharing with me his expertise not only in photo-taking but also his vast knowledge and skill in post-processing work. Finally it remains for me to say a big thank you to you, Pavel!

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March 7, 2012
gregor H says:

Pavel I appreciate the contact with you very much. You're one of the handful of people with whom I am in contact regularly over a long time. So I have a feeling we are in delicate commentary communication that works. In your Pictures, especially in the natural, I find inspiration. For you, the motive often show me a ne… Read more

Pavel I appreciate the contact with you very much. You're one of the handful of people with whom I am in contact regularly over a long time. So I have a feeling we are in delicate commentary communication that works. In your Pictures, especially in the natural, I find inspiration. For you, the motive often show me a new perspective. I am also fascinated how you transport moods. I hope we can keep our contact even in the future, despite the fast pace here in Flickr.

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July 10, 2011
well-made apparel (deleted)

Pavel has a passion for photography that comes across not only in his work, but also in his approach to learning. He welcomes honest feedback on his images, and doesn't let his ego get in the way in his search for the truth, which tells me a bit about his strong and good character I consider myself very fortunat… Read more

Pavel has a passion for photography that comes across not only in his work, but also in his approach to learning. He welcomes honest feedback on his images, and doesn't let his ego get in the way in his search for the truth, which tells me a bit about his strong and good character I consider myself very fortunate to have met Pavel on Flickr. He has a tremendous insight that I have benefited from due to the feedback he has been good enough to offer me. It has indeed been a "meeting of minds". Pavel "tells it as he sees it", a very precious commodity, much moreso than mutual backslapping. Pavel has already reached a high standard in his work, but knowing Pavel and his aforementioned approach to learning, I'm quite sure this high standard will continue to improve

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January 3, 2011
Luís C says:

One interesting aspect about Pavel's work is that he doesn't stick to a specific genre. In Pavel's stream we find landscapes, but also floral close-ups, animals, people, abstract, experimental. Technically he knows how to explore all the range of possibilities a camera and lenses have to offer: high speed, long exposur… Read more

One interesting aspect about Pavel's work is that he doesn't stick to a specific genre. In Pavel's stream we find landscapes, but also floral close-ups, animals, people, abstract, experimental. Technically he knows how to explore all the range of possibilities a camera and lenses have to offer: high speed, long exposures, wide open, wide dof. His critiques are some of the best I have read. His insights about photography issues are enlightening and inspiring. For all these reasons one may say with absolutely certainty that Pavel loves what he is doing. He has a passion for photography that motivates him to keep going on exploring all the potential for creativity and artistic expression this art has to offer, never falling on the temptation of the easy and eventually popular paths. One admirable and inspiring quality!

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October 15, 2010