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WHO IS JOSHUA PETKER?
Amy L. Young

Who is Joshua Petker? Well, perhaps you already know the answer to that question. If you don't, maybe you should give yourself a few hits on the wrist with something that is known to properly administer at least a modicum of pain. And then you should continue reading.

Joshua Petker, an LA resident and predominately California native--minus a couple of stints in the Pacific Northwest, paints women. Beautiful, provocative women in bold colors that are manifestations from both ends of the timeline, rendering them as pensive but resolute creatures that live outside of time.

It wasn't always women for Petker, who got his artistic start through graffiti and tagging, which gave him some basic ideas about drawing, which he did semi-regularly, often practicing penciling the letters of the alphabet. During his years at Evergreen College in Washington State, he enrolled in only one art class, which turned out to be less than enticing. It was while attending Lorenzo di'Medici, The Academy of Florence, and an intense and inspiring drawing class he took there, that the desire really came to life. He even managed to log some time in Italy tagging a train here and there, you know, for old time's sake.

Upon return to the states, he continued to draw and then started painting, learning everything through exploration and practice. Always hugely inspired by Gustav Klimt, Petker even painted a few of Klimt's women, admiring elements that have definitely influenced his own style. It's perhaps the element of Klimt in the work that has left Petker in a precarious place when it comes to the gallery circuit and where it is that he just might fit in. Groundbreaking galleries like Seattle's Roq La Rue and M Modern in Palm Springs, both who feature an array of the best in lowbrow and contemporary pop surrealism, have had no problem in finding a home for Petker's breath-stealing beauties, whereas some of the lowbrow galleries find him an excellent artist, love the work, but send him away with the "it's just not the right fit" speech. Though this split in acceptance is often a source of contemplation for Josh, it hasn't made him ever consider adjusting his vision to fit into a specific mold or scene. And he shouldn't have to, the work speaks for itself.

The paintings pay an unmistakable homage not only to the styles of both Klimt and Egon Schiele, but also embrace the theme of death that threaded both of the artists bodies of work. Josh's Death and Life, featuring a monstrous red background, the girl looks neither at, nor away, from death as she is planting a soft kiss on his cheek, possibly suggesting that she could be thinking of something totally separate from the issue of her own mortality. This type of indifference and lack of fear on the part of the subject is common in such pieces, so we're never left to fear or pity the subject.

They Shine in Darkness reeks of sexuality and abandon as a beautiful, gothic devil girl dance loosely beneath the moonlight, surrounded by angelic and demonic characters that suggests a graveyard as the setting. Josh exquisitely masters the combination of spiritual and temporal realities. And if that's too much meaning, the abundance of skulls may also be a payment of compliment from the artist to bands the Misfits and Samhain, whose music is often the soundtrack in Petker's studio. This piece, like the others, does not lack in the rich, dark blues, reds and purples that make the work unique and engaging. All of Josh's paintings are acrylic and predominately done with small sponge brushes. Aside from his beautiful girlfriend, Petker rarely uses live models and does a only a limited amount of pre-sketching before diving into blending his striking colors.

Currently he is working at the L.A. County Museum of Art, which was another opportunity to immerse himself in art and art happenings and has recently been chosen to participate in their Arts Here and Now program by one of the Modern and Contemporary Art Curators. In May, Petker will be showing over ten pieces in a solo show at Phoenix's Perihelion Arts and will be a part of the Portrait Show at LA's Bamboo Lane / Revisited gallery, opening June 5th. www.joshuapetker.com

Amy L. Young
for Coagula Arts Journal