Fred Tomaselli is an incredible American artist that I became aware of in the 90’s. Back then he was making his highly detailed psychedelic art, using wood panels, combining an array of unorthodox materials including actual pills and pot leaves, suspended in a thick layer of clear epoxy resin. More recently it seems he’s been inspired not simply by nature, but by the media and the insanity of our political system. He has a big new show at James Cohan Gallery which is well worth a visit. However it isn’t the giant spectacular pieces that thrilled me as much as these tripped-out paint & collage works, using the New York Times cover pages as his muse.
Coincidently, I'd emailed Fred to update him on the March 2021 release date of Art Sleeves, which he's included in, and mentioned he'd probably get a kick out of The Sm;)e Book. He replied enthusiastically, showing me this wonderful blotter sheet print he'd created in 1990!
