With rough, sculpted surfaces and an abstract application of pigments, the works of S.J.A. Tomalak evoke the surreal beauty of urban decay. This is something Tomalak pursues quite purposefully, seeking to portray the inevitable chemical processes of the sun, gravity, and erosion that move through all our lives, breaking down and aging both people and objects. It’s not an apocalyptic vision of the end, but an acceptance of the cyclical nature of our environment. A chemist, Tomalak is very interested in different materials such as ground minerals, construction materials, and acrylic and polymer compounds, all of which he utilizes when forming his highly textured canvases. Tomalak is constantly experimenting with techniques and pigments, and most of his work is created with completely original mediums and elements.
Tomalak started painting at sixteen, and his artistic roots lie in traditional landscape painting. Though Tomalak’s work today is abstract, one can still recognize a separation between heaven and earth and a sense of the picturesque. Tomalak's paintings reflect the world's complexity as well as his own emotions and anxieties.
