POMONA - It's possible for someone to be familiar with the work of Andre Miripolsky and not know it.

He has designed album covers for such performers as Bette Midler, created the keyboard costume Elton John wore in his 1980 Central Park concert, and in the 1990s produced billboards and magazine ads for an Absolut Vodka campaign.
Up until 2004, he painted huge sets in front of which countless guest performers of "The Tonight Show" were seen.
This month, the work of Andre Miripolsky and that of his father, Bert Miripolsky, will be featured at The dA Center for the Arts in Pomona. A grand-opening reception takes place tonight.

The dA's curator, Rolo Castillo, said recently he wanted to have a one-artist show at the center and thought about the younger Miripolsky, whom he has known for about 20 years. "This is a spectacular venue, but the only thing is that it's daunting," Miripolsky said Thursday. "It's so big."

At one point, Miripolsky came out to Pomona to tell Castillo he couldn't do the exhibit, but he saw one of center's vast walls and knew just what to put on it. A richly colored drawing that was no more than 4 inches tall on paper was blown up to fit the wall. "I worked with this space," Miripolsky said.

Some artists will produce work using computers and other technology, but Miripolsky prefers to use technology after he's created a piece, allowing the work of his hand to come through. "I use (technology) all the time, but I feed it with a hand-drawn something first," he said.

Unlike some artists who refrain from writing words in their works, Miripolsky includes written messages, something inspired by the signs and drawings people have used in the past, sometimes in political posters, to get a message across. "I always liked that, the big messaging and bold artwork," he said.

"Miripolsky + Miripolsky," as the exhibit is titled, offers visitors a chance to see some of the work of Miripolsky's father, an abstract painter.

This is the first time the works of both are being shown together, Miripolsky said. The elder Miripolsky, who is now in an assisted-living facility, taught art decades ago, his son said. Because the elder Miripolsky was a member of the Foreign Service, he and his family spent time in many countries where they visited countless museums, Miripolsky said. All of these elements became part of Miripolsky's art education.

Miripolsky and Castillo said they never intended for this show to come together in this fashion and in time for Father's Day. "It worked out like it was meant to be," Miripolsky said.

Having Miripolsky in Pomona is significant and says something about its art scene, Castillo said. "We're at the forefront of something new developing in the Arts Colony." Bringing artists like Miripolsky to Pomona offers people a chance to see something they would ordinarily have to travel to see.

"For those who aren't connected to the art scene, Miripolsky's work provides an entry point to begin exploring and learning about art," Castillo said. "His work will appeal to some and turn off others but it will engage people, prompting them to learn more about art and maybe even lead them to become patrons of the arts," he said.

monica.rodriguez@inlandnewspapers.com
(909) 483-9336