By Tony Martins

Anthony Tremmaglia has demonstrated an ability to deftly straddle the line between commercial and fine art illustration. “Modern Man,” his upcoming solo show at WallSpace gallery, offers more evidence of the artist’s growing talents to, by turns, compellingly illustrate ideas for magazine editors and then take a deeper dive with his own fine art pieces.

A longstanding contributor to Guerilla magazine and a host of noted mainstream publications (including WIRED, Smart Money, HOW, the Globe and Mail, and San Francisco Weekly), Tremmaglia has taken a slow-growth approach to exposure in the Ottawa gallery scene. The WallSpace show (opening Saturday, May 28) will be the artist’s first solo exhibition in a local commercial gallery.

According to Tremmaglia, his work resonates in both galleries and publications because he can channel creative energies to match the required context.

“When I am assigned an illustration, there is a connection between the idea of the story and clarity and outcome of the illustration,” explains Tremmaglia. “Being too ambiguous, abstract, and allusive does not service the work or connect with the audience. The audience must get what you're trying to say—and that is part of the craft of illustrating for magazines.”

In a gallery context, however, Tremmaglia says “the marriage changes slightly.”

“When I set up to work on personal pieces, the ideas are directly what I am experiencing,” says the artist. “I allow for many subtleties to play out; ambiguity might be present as well as the odd mistake. Audiences may have to dig deeper into the work to read the use of symbolism.”

While Tremmaglia contends that his layered and often surreal illustrative style “has taken shape intuitively by way of the material I use and what comes by instinct to me,” he also acknowledges the influence of noted artists from history.

“I have looked at many for inspiration,” Tremmaglia says. “Some I would say who really struck me are Rauschenburg and Delvaux, Colville and Magritte. I like the language of these artists, some of them were also illustrators, as I found out. Their use of symbolism, object, time and place are beautifully done.”

With “Modern Man,” Tremmaglia will combine commercial works with more recent personal pieces that make commentary on the human condition in an age of rapid technological change.

“The idea of man responding to our current societal pressure and our exposure to media and it's manipulation are some of the ideas I explore,” says the artist. “I look at the influence of technology and how it has invaded our living space, whether we like it or not. One piece in particular called Transmission looks at all the noise that is circulating through us literally every day.”

When not pursuing his commercial and fine art practices, Tremmaglia is a highly regarded teacher in the Algonquin College media and design program. He is encouraged by how readily young people relate to the themes in his personal work.

“I have had some students comment about the work and say how true it is,” Tremmaglia said. “One person in particular commented on the piece called Preoccupation Red and admitted that’s how he sees some of his peers. That was powerful.”

Still, Tremmaglia knows that reactions to his work will always vary.

“Most of it will likely be interpreted in many ways,” he says. “I think the recent work extends to everyone and many will hopefully relate or understand what the pieces are about. If someone can see themselves in it and connect to that feeling—that would be success.”