We are proud to announce a first ever Patina Gallery exhibition of works by two important American artists, Tod and Earl Pardon.  Pieces from both contemporary jewelry artists are found in the Smithsonian and New York’s Museum of Art and Design. Tod Pardon brings twenty new works to the exhibition and twenty-two works from his father Earl’s estate, a group that includes earrings, brooches, and rings.

Earl Pardon was an important pioneer and teacher in the early years of the studio-craft movement. He graduated with an MFA in painting from Syracuse in 1959 and his work reflects the design interests of the mid-century period. He worked in mixed metals, often combining them with enamel, bezel set colored stones and diverse non-precious materials such as shell, bone and ebony. Ever the fine artist, Pardon treated his enamels like paintings, each a minute work of art. Shapes dance and float over mottled backgrounds, suggesting Calder’s mobiles, Kandinsky and the paintings of Miro. This marriage of fine art and fine craftsmanship explains why Pardon is a pre-eminent figure in American studio jewelry history.

Tod Pardon never set out to be a jeweler, preferring to carve his own path, in painting and ceramics. Nonetheless, he found himself drawn to the scale and craftsmanship of the art. Also a graduate of Syracuse with an MFA in painting, Tod Pardon’s experiments with various media converge in his works. His techniques are derived from studies of ceramics and painting, and working closely with his father in the studio during Earl’s last years. 

The aesthetic relationship of these two artists is apparent. Their works reside on the same stylistic continuum but there are important differences. Tod loosens the line and the shapes morph softly. While his jewelry retains a vaguely mid-century quality, it is figurative and has an emotional content that contrasts with the abstractions and geometry of his father’s. Acknowledging the essential ambiguity of jewelry, most of his works are brooches which he presents on tiny pedestals for exhibition as sculpture. Rather than enamel, he uses pigmented glass in a cold binder, in combination with various stones and wood, set in silver.

A trip to Kenya years ago strongly influences Tod’s work. The attenuated “necks” of his works, the tribal patterning and color are all the result of time spent among the Massai.  A recent group is based upon the mythical figures of the peoples of Bali.

The lives of fathers and sons are always entwined, perhaps even more when both are working artists. For Tod and his father, the twining runs deep. Their identities are rooted in art and creativity, a shared love of color, craftsmanship and design.  

Tod Pardon has shown his works with Patina Gallery since 1999 and this is a rare, second Patina Gallery exhibit for an artist. Patina is pleased to be the first to present this exciting exhibit.