Thomas Pfannerstill
Champion of Humble Objects
Professional fine artist and maker of painstakingly recreated, finely wrought hand carved three-dimensional hyperrealist depictions of everyday common objects found on the street,
hand carved in basswood and painted with acrylic and/or enamel.
Studio: 1501 Christy Avenue, Louisville, KY 40204
tompfannerstill@gmail.com
Thomas Pfannerstill in the studio, 2021
Thomas Pfannerstill
Born: 1951, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Resides: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: BFA (Cum Laude), 1975
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Printmaking with Ivan Schieferdecker
Ceramics with William C. Weaver
Professional and Related Activities:
Full-Time Studio Artist, since 1986.
Artist Fellowship, Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship awarded by The Kentucky Arts Council, 2001.
GreenGrass/BlueGrass/NewGrass Project, A collaboration between artists from Louisville Kentucky, Ireland and Northern Ireland, Belfast, N. Ireland, 2002 - 2005.
Kunst in der Stadt, One of three artists chosen to represent Louisville at an international arts festival in Mainz, Germany, sponsored by Sister Cities International, 1999.
Heads Up Kentucky, Sculpted prototype, and produced an award-winning final version for an educational awareness and fund raiser, sponsored by Kentucky Psychological Association, 2005
Member of Exhibitions Committee, Louisville Visual Art Association, 1997 to 2003.
Member of Exhibitions Committee, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, 1996 to 1998.
VIPS, Board of Directors of Visually Impaired Preschool Services, 2001 to 2008.
Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, served as visiting artist/ workshop leader at a series of hands-on workshops, Feb. – Mar, 2000.
Blackacre Nature Preserve, led a series of workshops for students from Jefferson County, KY, June, 2000.
Member of Louisville Visual Art, 1978 to present.
Member of J. B. Speed Museum, 1980 to present. Participated in focus group regarding future planning, 1997.
RFB&D, Served as a volunteer reader/monitor for Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic, 1998-2000.
Member of Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society, 1997 to 2004.
Juror for numerous professional and student art exhibitions.
Selected Collections
Actor’s Theater, Louisville, KY
Ann Moore, New York, NY
Bellarmine College, Louisville, KY
Mr. Richard Bram and Ms. Monika Machon, London, England
Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, KY.
Beth Rodin DeWoody, Los Angeles CA
Dr. Jeffrey Callen, Louisville, KY
Capital Holding Corporation, Louisville, KY.
Citizens Bank, Glasgow, KY
Commonwealth Life Insurance, Louisville, KY.
ESPN Zone, Baltimore MD
Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, Evansville, IN.
Flint Institute of Arts, Flint MI.
First Unitarian Church, Louisville, KY
Fox Dental Offices, Dupont Circle, St Matthews, KY
Gilda’s Club, Louisville, KY
Grady’s Restaurants, Atlanta, GA. Birmingham, AL. Charlotte, NC. Chattanooga, TN. Dallas, TX. Knoxville, TN. Little Rock, AR. and Memphis. TN.
The Johanson Collection, Charolette, NC.
Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Johnston, Bowling Green, KY
J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc., Louisville, KY.
The Jacobs Collection, Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY
Dr. and Mrs. John Huff, Nashville, TN.
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Louisville, KY.
Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
Miller-Valentine Group, Cincinnati, and Dayton, OH.
Maker’s Mark, Offices in Louisville, KY
NKC Hospitals, Louisville, KY.
The City of Sharonville, OH.
Stouffers Hotel and Convention Center, Nashville, TN.
TransFinancial Corporation, Louisville, KY.
University of Kentucky, Lexington Kentucky.
Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green. KY.
Mr. And Mrs. Marty Weinberg, Louisville, KY.
Shows and Exhibitions:
2020
The Other Side of Paradise, Curated exhibition from the collection, Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, Las Vegas, NV
Hyperrealism, Deception and Blurred Media, Group Show, Blue Spiral 1 Gallery, Asheville, NC
Solo Show, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
Alumni invitational, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY
Featured artist in group show, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
2019
A 39 Year Retrospective, Part II, Final Exhibition at Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Inaugural Invitational Exhibit, Kleinhelter Gallery, New Albany, IN
Finding Home: Invitational group exhibition, Pyro Gallery, Louisville, KY
Pop and After, Beth Urdang Gallery, Boston, MA
Size Doesn’t Matter: Food for Thought, Louis K. Meisel Gallery New York, NY
Mediums of Exchange, Curated By Lisa Panzera and Bartholomew F. Bland, Lehman College Art Gallery, New York, NY
Currents: Contemporary Artists Along the Banks of the Ohio, Swanson Contemporary, Louisville, KY
2018
Merton Among Us: The Living Legacy of Thomas Merton, Huff Gallery, Spalding University, Louisville, KY
Louisville Artists: Carry On, Janice Mason Art Museum, Cadiz KY
Plural, Group exhibition featuring works from the permanent collection, Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
Group Exhibition, Sager-Braudis Gallery, Columbia, MO
Invitational Group Exhibition, Blue Spiral 1 Gallery, Asheville, NC
2017
Fool the Eye, curated by Franklin Hill Perrell & Debbie Wells, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, NY
Really? Curated by Beth Rudin DeWoody and hosted by Wilding Cran Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Group Exhibit, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, Ky
National Council of Jewish Women First Amendment Event, Table Installation Piece (Without Books the World is a Very Dark Place), The Temple, Lime Kiln Lane, Louisville, KY
Small Packages, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
notBIG (4) small works juried exhibition, M.S.Rezny Studio and Gallery. Lexington, KY
Size Doesn’t Matter: A Small Works Survey Curated by Susan Meisel, Bernarducci Meisel Gallery, NY, NY
Art Palm Springs, works shown in the Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts booth, Palm Springs CA
Painting 1: A Survey of Different Approaches to Painting, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
2016
Night and Day: Two-Person Exhibition (with Caroline Waite), Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
Two-Person Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Maps Freely Interpreted, K & S Gallery, Louisville, KY
Mazin Exhibition. Competitive Exhibition, Jewish Community Center, Louisville, KY
Extended Solo Show, Fox Dental Offices, Louisville, KY
Artists Select, Group exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2015
Sager-Braudis Gallery. Featured in group show, Columbia, MO
Mazin Exhibition, Awarded second place in competitive exhibition, Jewish Community Center, Louisville, KY
Open Studio Weekend Exhibition, Sponsored by Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville Hite institute, Cressman Center, Louisville, KY
Annual Holiday Exhibition, Harmon-Meek Gallery, Naples FL
2014
Photorealism:The Everyday Illuminated, Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art, Las Vegas, NV
Rock, Paper, Scissors and Wood, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Past and Present, Ellis-Walker Gallery, Bowling Green, KY
2013
Solo Show, Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas, NV
Participating Artist Exhibit, in conjunction with Open Studio Weekend, sponsored by University of Louisville and Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
From the Street and Just Rust, Two person show with Ron Gregory, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
2012
Is It or Isn’t it: An Exploration of Contemporary Trompe L’eoil, Curated by Susan P. Meisel for Bernarducci Meisel Gallery, New York, NY
Small Packages, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville TN
Group Show, Russeck Gallery, Palm Beach, FL
2011
Small Packages, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
LoCAL.streets, Group Exhibition, Curated by Daniel Pfalzgraf, Muhammed Ali Center, Louisvile, KY
Pop and After, Group Exhibit, Beth Urdang Gallery, Boston, MA
A Night at the Circus, Permanent Installation, Painted Wall with Attached Objects, Kosair Childrens’ Hospital, Louisville KY
Paper Poets, Group Collage Exhibit, Jewish Community Center, Louisville, KY
2010
Blue Wall with Random Thoughts, Permanent Installation, Painted Wall with Attached Objects, Norton-Kosair Children’s Medical Center East, Louisville, KY
Thomas Pfannerstill: From the Street, Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas NV
New Work, Galerie Hertz, Louisville KY
2010 SIGN/AGE, Armand Bartos Fine Art, New York, NY
Trompe L’oeil, Christy Zurkuhlen Gallery, Louisville, KY
2009
Small Packages, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Solo Exhibit, Gallery at 916, Bowling Green, KY
Collectors’ Roadshow, Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN
From Washington to Warhol: America Redefined, Cheekwood Art Center, Nashville, TN
In Plane Sight: AnExhibition of Wall Sculpture, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Infinite Riches in a Small Room, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
DinnerWorks, One of eight artists invited to create a place setting for centennial year of Louisville Visual Art Association, exhibited during DinnerWorks annual fundraiser, LVAA, Louisville KY
2008
The Grand Illusion: Realistic and Abstract Illusions in Contemporary Art, Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York, NY
Made To Deceive: The Art of Trompe L’oeil, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
Summer Exhibition, Perlow-Stevens Gallery, Columbia, MO
2007
From the Street, Solo Exhibition, O.K.Harris Works of Art, New York, NY
Trash Talk, Solo Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Uncommon Wealth, Traveling Group Exhibition Organized by Kentucky Arts Council, Owensboro Museum of Fine Arts, Owensboro Ky, Actor’s Theater Gallery, Louisville, KY, and other venues
From the Street, Solo Ehxibit, Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas NV
Recordar, Revivir, y Regocijarse Con, Day of the Dead Festival, Gloria Singletary Gallery at The Living Arts And Science Center, Lexington, KY
2006
minuMENTAL: Artists Working in Small Formats, Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas NV
Solo Exhibition, Gallery Hertz, Inaugural exhibit in their new 3rd street location, Louisville, KY
Uncommon Wealth, Group exhibition organized by the Kentucky Arts Council, Loudon House Gallery, Lexington, KY
2005
Allegorical Amalgamations, Group Exhibition, Reed Whipple Cultural Center , Las Vegas, NV
Blue, Solo Exhibition of Recent Paintings, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
Small Packages, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Samplings, Solo Exhibition, Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY
Al Smith Fellowship Artists Exhibition, Actor’s Theater Gallery, Louisville, KY
Selected Works from the Fellowship Exhibition, Kentucky Artisan Center, Berea, KY
The Weave Suite Revisited: A Fiber Collaboration, (with C.J. Pressma) Zephyr Gallery, Louisville KY, and Yeiser Art Center,Paducah KY
Forces of Nature, Invitational Exhibition, Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, Lousiville, KY
2004
Seeing is Believing: American Trompe l’oeil, New Britian Museum of American Art, New Britian, CT
As I See Myself: Autobiographical Art, Kentucky Museum of Arts + Design, Louisville, KY
Irish Art Now Exchange, Ardgillian Castle, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, Ireland
An Exploration Of Polymer Clay, Kentucky Museum of Arts + Design, Louisville, KY
2003
REAL Illusions: Contemporary Art From Nashville Collections, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN
Subject: Object, Group Exhibit, OK Harris Works of Art, New York, NY
Here and There: Exploring Regionalism, Group Exhibit, Contemporary Arts Collective, Las Vegas, NV
Aggregations, Solo Exhibition, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
Food, Glorious Food, Group Exhibit, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
Miniature Masterpieces, Group Exhibit, Bernheim Arboretum, Bardstown KY
Yum, Group Exhibit, Contemporary Arts Collective, Las Vegas NV
Just Desserts, Group Exhibit, Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte, NC
Art Bound: A National Invitational Exhibit of and About Books, Chapman Friedman Gallery, Louisville, KY
2002
Links That Connect Us, Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Star Spangled Colour, Group Exhibition, Trace Contemporary Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Solo Exhibit, O.K.Harris Works of Art, New York, NY
Photorealism: The Liff Collection, Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL
Faces, Group Exhibit, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
Material Issues Revisited: Painting, Sculpture and Construction, Group Exhibition, O.K.Harris Works of Art, New York, NY
Play> Endeavors in Art and Media, Invitational Exhibition in Conjunction with The Humana Festival of New American Plays, Actor’s Theater, Louisville, KY
DessertWorks, Invitational Group Exhibit, Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN
Artist’s Sketches, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2001
Showcase 25 Revisited, Group Exhibit, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
Small Packages, Group Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
In Balance, Group Invitational Exhibit, Actor’s Theater, Louisville, KY
Heads, Three Person Show (with Wayne Ferguson and Shayne Hull), The Carnegie Center, Covington, KY
Virtual Reality, Two Person Exhibit (with Sylvia Hyman), Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Breakfastworks, An Exhibit in Conjunction with the Annual Dinnerworks Show, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
Fashion-Art-Design, Group Exhibition Curated by Melissa Wilson, Louisville, KY
2000
Solo Show, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
The 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Lots of Small Works, Competitive Exhibition, Artspace, Fort Wayne, IN
By Invitation, Five Person Exhibition, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Small Packages, Group Show, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
1999
Portraits: Self and Otherwise, Group Exhibition, Sandler-Hudson Gallery, Atlanta, GA
15 Years on Main Street, Invitational Exhibition, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, Louisville, KY
Reconstructing the Log Cabin, Oregon Museum, Springfield OR
Small Works, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
1998
Kentucky Quilts: Roots and Wings, Kentucky Folk Art Center, Morehead, KY (travelling through 2000)
The Theater of Self-Invention: Self-Portraiture in Contemporary Art, J. B. Speed Museum, Louisville, KY
Small Works, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville TN
The 22nd Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays Invitational Exhibition, Actor’s Theater, Louisville, KY
Bridges, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, Louisville, KY
Birdy II, Group Invitational, Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN
Filling the Void: The Art of Casting, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
1997
Heads, Solo Show, Inaugural Exhibition in the New Galerie Hertz Location, Louisville, KY
Small Packages, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Bats, Bowls and Balls, Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University, Murray, KY
Choice Cuts, Group Exhibit, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
1996
Ivan Karp: The Face of Contemporary Art, Centre College, Danville, KY.
The Fine Art of Fine Wine, Loundon House, Lexington, KY.
Solo Exhibit, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN.
The Alumni Show, Floyd County Museum, New Albany, IN.
“Pop” Goes the Icon, Southern Artists use the Symbols of America, Lennox Square Artswalk, in conjunction with the Olympic Games, Atlanta, GA.
New Work, Group Show, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY.
1995
Solo Exhibit, O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, NY.
Three Person Exhibit, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY.
Big Kites, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, Louisville, KY.
River Place Festival, Competitive Exhibit, Greenville. KY.
The Art of Tea, Images-Freidman Gallery, Louisville, KY.
Good Dog, Invitational Exhibit, Liberty Gallery, Louisville, KY.
Gone Fishing, Invitational Exhibit, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY.
Group Exhibit, Cudahy Gallery, Richmond, VA.
Trompe L’Oeil, Masters of Illusion, Spruill Arts Center, Atlanta, GA.
Holidazzle, Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, Louisville, KY.
Small Packages, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville. TN.
1994
Solo Exhibit, O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, NY.
Louisville Paper Invitational, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY and Mainz, Germany.
Double-Take: Contemporary Illusionism, Curators’ Forum, Hans and Walter Bechtler Gallery, Charlotte, NC.
Pandora’s Box: 100 Boxes by 100 Artists, Hand Workshop, Richmond, VA.
What’s for Dinner, Group Exhibition, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, NC.
1993
Solo Exhibit, O.K.Harris Works of Art, New York, NY
Solo Show, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY
New Blood: A National Competition, Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University, Murray KY.
Contemporary Traditions, Kentucky Museum, Bowling Green, KY.
Group Exhibit, Galerie Hertz, Louisville, KY.
1992
Solo Exhibit, O.K.Harris Works of Art, New York, NY.
From the Street, Solo Exhibit, Sandler-Hudson Gallery, Atlanta, GA
X-Change, An Exhibit organized by the South Carolina Arts Council and the Kentucky Department of the Arts, South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, SC.
Quilt Conceptions: Designs in Other Media, An Exhibit in Conjunction with “Louisville Celebrates the American Quilt,” Sponsored by the Kentucky Quilt Project, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY
Group Exhibit, David Klein Gallery, Birmingham, MI.
1991
Solo Exhibit, Gallery Hertz, Louisville, KY.
Two-Person Exhibit, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN.
Two-Person Exhibit, Headley-Whitney Museum, Lexington, KY
Circus, Circus, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY.
Gallery Artists, Group Exhibit, Swearingen Gallery, Louisville, KY.
1990
Urban Visions, Two-Man Show, Bellarmine College, Louisville KY, and Dittmar Gallery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Tables, Invitational Exhibition, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY.
Mixed-Media and Other Art Forms, Group Exhibit, Lexington, KY.
Anniversary Show, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN.
Time… Pieces, A Travelling Exhibition, Sponsored by and First Exhibited at the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY.
1989
The Regionalists: Three Dimensional Forms, Museum of Fine Art, Owensboro, KY.
Nashville and Vicinity, Group Exhibit, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN.
HOT! Group Exhibit, Swanson Cralle Gallery, Louisville, KY.
Dog Days: Artist-Designed Dog Houses, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Louisville, KY.
Solo Exhibit, Swearingen Gallery, Louisville, KY