Pakks
Biography
Pakks, né John Howard, was raised by architectural illustrator Dick Howard and Pat Howard, an abstract artist shown by Leo Castelli’s co-director, Ivan Karp. Surrounded by modern and abstract art as well as architectural drawings his entire childhood, PAKKS was instructed from a young age in drawing, painting, and sculpture. Major childhood influences include growing up the youngest of seven siblings, the loss of three siblings, attending his mother’s art exhibitions, and trips across the American West, particularly Native American Indian ruins, Spanish missions, the Grand Canyon, the Devil’s Tower, and Arcosanti. As an adult he has been shaped by he and his wife’s role reversal and raising his four daughters as a stay-at-home Dad, as well as the many places he has called home: Toledo, Kansas City, Dallas, Toronto, and Paris. Craft influences include Nevelson, Rothko, Landfield, Christensen, Lipsky, Kline, Marden, and Zox, as well as independent film. Practicing commercial art at his father’s firm taught him perspective drawing as well as 3d modeling/computer animation. A graduate of Penn State, he has received instruction at the Toledo Museum of Art's Design School and the Art Student’s League of New York with atelier instruction under Charles Hinman and Frank O'Cain.
Pakks’s art is intended as a study of life. Conceptual art held prisoner by random events becomes real in the freeze frame of imagery. The finished piece is but an aesthetic embellishment, a decoration. The artistic process is a study into what life is and can be. The actual art is in the concept, process, and the attempt to touch the viewer through the imagination. But it’s true democracy as art, i.e. the moment it is set free, is when it is viewed. It can never be unseen. So while one might possess the physical manifestation of the work, all who have seen it “own” it.
Pakks films with high definition video followed by playback utilizing forced video decoder failure. Still images capture this failure to become the building blocks for further photomanipulation. Final output is usually Giclée prints upon canvas or color photographic prints mounted onto aluminum plates.
Pakks hopes to continue his own development as well as offer others a new way of seeing the world.
Résumé
PAKKS né John Howard
Born in Ohio
Splits time between New York City, Paris, Los Angeles, and Toledo, Ohio
Education
2013 Art Students League of NY, Atelier instruction with Charles Hinman and Frank O'Cain
2007 Graduate of the Penn State University
Toledo Museum of Art School of Design
Exhibitions
Current recurring solo exhibition, Element 112, Sylvania, Ohio, 40 piece exhibition
Current group show, BB419, Toledo, Ohio, Five pieces.
2013, group show, ARC Gallery, Chicago
2013, group show, ASL Gallery, Art Students League of New York
2013, select pieces: Saatchi Online Gallery
2012, Spring, solo exhibition: “Mon atelier est en flammes!," Paris, France
2012, Summer, solo exhibition: “Incendie dans la République,” Paris, France
Invitation: 2012 Exhibition "Ancient Palace" in Palazzo Terragni, Lissone (Milan), Italy
Invitation: 2012 Villa Monastero Exhibition, Varenna, Italy (on Como Lake).
Curated art/design websites featuring Pakks
ARTSlant blog
Blog of ARTSLANT, "the #1 contemporary art network, has comprehensive calendars for openings, exhibits and events, a worldwide community of professional artists, and local city editions for the art lover."
http://artslant.tumblr.com/post/43008074598/theories-of-pakks-death-is-but-a-rumour#notes
Theories of the Deep Understanding of Things blog
Theories of the Deep Understanding Of Things™ (www.THEORIES-OF.tumblr.com) is an audio & visual web-magazine, consisting of contemporary & less contemporary art, nice music, & some funny images. Updated daily & all.
http://theories-of.tumblr.com/post/43006368550/pakks-death-is-but-a-rumour-giclee-on-canvas
"Cuded is a Design and Inspiration blog, which showcases the exciting work on advertising, architecture, art, graphics, game, illustrations, music, paintings, fashion, photography and web design in the world."
http://www.cuded.com/2013/01/abstract-art-by-john-howard/#more-97779
What others are saying about Pakks
"Reminiscent of Kline but with originality and depth."
-Charles Hinman, Artist, NYC (work collected by MoMa, Whitney, LACMA, & more)
"Innovative and compelling..."
-Ethan Karp, OK Harris Gallery, NYC
"Very interesting stuff!"
-Frank O'Cain, Artist, NYC
"Ohio-Born artist John Howard, aka Pakks created unique abstract art series When the Soul Leaves the Body, which depicts the moment when life ends – what life is and can be. I was just touched when viewing the work and impressed by his imagination."
"Pauvre con !"
-Francois Sage, gallery manager, Paris