A Twist On Tradition

By Lee Sutter

The headspinning work of Paso Roblans Tom Peck, a photographer, and Kevin Bohner, a sculptor, complement each other in a shared exhibit, “Twisted Vision,” as each presents unique takes on traditional art forms.

While this Studios on the Park show is a first for Bohner, Peck has been around the block a few times in his 30-year career, the most recent being Times Square.

Settling on a Paso Robles ranch six years ago is pretty tame for the man who worked 18 years in New York City, a decade in San Francisco, and has traveled extensively since childhood.

“Do I miss all of the insanity?” Peck asked rhetorically. “Absolutely.” Peck said he loves the Central Coast’s beauty, however, as long as he can still get an occasional big-city fix.

This is the first exposure for Peck’s Times Square series “Urban Aggregates,” 15 shots, a mix of color and black and white. Peck said he doesn’t just shoot pictures, “I shoot ideas.”

The photographer fills the frame with details, with no dominating element.

Scenes reflected off of windshields and windows or objects in motion give his work a distorted look. The shots are so image-packed they appear to be Photo-shopped or otherwise manipulated.

“They absolutely look like they’re montages,” Peck acknowledged. Not so. To capture his vision, “I’ll turn the camera any way I’ll need to.”

Filling every inch of space within the frame is no easy task, even at Times Square where advertisements and activities abound. Peck once needed something red to fill a void in a photo he hoped to capture. “I waited for something red to drive by,” he recalled. A big red garbage truck fulfilled his wish in 20 minutes. “Sometimes you stand in the road risking your life,” Peck said. “It’s always an adventure.”

In contrast, Bohner has spent most of his 31 years in Paso, moving here at age 5 with his folks. Although he always liked to draw and took high school art classes, he’d never considered getting involved in the arts until 2006.

“It was just out of the blue,” said Bohner, after he met and married Leahandah, an art lover and painter, who talked him into sculpting with concrete. Bohner has his own concrete business, a trade he learned from his father. “He taught me how to pour concrete, then I took it to another level.”

“I was really shy about it” initially, Bohner said. “To produce these sculptures was kind of weird for me.” but after strangers responded favorably to his work, Bohner developed confidence.

Tools he uses for rebar in his business came in handy when he began to attach steel coils atop concrete bases, resulting in 6-1/2 and 8-1/2-foot-high works that weigh 450 opunds. The sculptor has the metal bars powder painted and baked. His sculptures are suitable inside or outside, Bohner said. “They can go both ways.”

IF YOU GO
What: “Twisted Vision,” two-man show of sculptures and photographs
Where: Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles
When: Through May 1
Hours: Noon to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday and Thursday
Contact: 238-9800