August 25 - September 29, 2023 

Telluride Arts HQ West 

224 W Colorado Ave 

Telluride, Colorado 81435 

Open 12pm - 6pm Most Days 

Known for his fun and humorous depictions of robots, monsters, and pop culture, Dave Pressler has a unique ability to bring a level of humanity to the inhuman, imbuing each of his subjects with noticeable personality. Now, with his first solo show in several years, Pressler brings the robots themselves to the forefront of the conversation.  

Summer’s Almost Over challenges viewers to put themselves in the place of the robots, who are, like many of us, feeling unsure and threatened with the rise of new technology and artificial intelligence. The last several years have presented undeniable and unforeseen difficulties. With his arsenal of robots, Pressler deftly explores the current state of our world, using the bots as a light-hearted tool to navigate this time.  

Self-described blue collar artist Pressler hails from a working class background in the southern suburbs of Chicago. Raised in a factory town, he was surrounded and influenced by people who worked with their hands for a living. Drawing upon those early, formative experiences, he uses his robot subjects to shine light on a highly relatable, but often ignored, pillar of society. His approach to his own work is not unlike that of a blue collar worker, blending impressive discipline and dedication, which has propelled Pressler’s career despite a lack of formal art training early on. Driven by the belief that art is a technique that, with hours of hard work, is attainable for anyone who wants to try, Pressler’s work is truly accessible.  

Presenting his first solo show since his career retrospective, Idea to Object, at the Lancaster Museum of Art & History in 2018, Pressler once again welcomes viewers into his humorous, but gritty world of robots and often monsters. His characters have previously begrudgingly fulfilled their duties, creating a robotic mirror of our own society. Now, they tackle the latest challenge–the rise of AI. No one is safe from the effects, not even the robots. As the robot’s lives parallel ours, Pressler explores the effects of new technology on every facet of worker. With the robots as his vessel, he projects personalities, sensitivities, and a sense of loss in the days since the onset of AI.  

“The last few years have been rough on everybody, so these robots are a personification or metaphor for all of us as we have navigated this time. So much has changed for humans, and so much has changed for robots.” 

No stranger to change in his own industry, Pressler is also a beloved player in animation. Over the past 25 years, he has developed and designed characters and worlds for many major companies, co-creating the Emmy nominated animated show “Robot And Monster” for Nickelodeon, art directing “Boss Baby Back In Business” for Dreamworks TV, and is currently the co-executive producer on “The Rugrats” reboot for Nickelodeon. In this position, he oversees the art direction and look of the entire show, drawing on his impressive attention to detail and once again his dedication to the fun and funny. Pressler has also found success in illustration with the Bigfoot Book series Back to School with Bigfoot and Bigfoot Wants A Little Brother for Scholastic. These years of creative and collaborative work have also shaped his world, and by extension the world of the robots.   

With 13 pieces throughout the Telluride Arts HQ West, and quite a few more robot surprises throughout, including a suspended sculpture, Pressler brings whimsy to the space. Balancing his successful animation career and illustration work, he returns to fine art with an engaging take on change and human nature.  

Robots – they’re just like us.  

About Dave Pressler 

Dave Pressler is a creative force to be reckoned with. A skilled multimedia artist, illustrator, animator, painter, sculptor, character designer, the list goes on and on. While his talent is undeniable, it is his humor and spirit of adventure that has cultivated his relationships with viewers and amassed a large and loyal fan base, with robots, monsters and pop culture as the cornerstone of his artistic canon. 

His work spans from the screen to the canvas, splitting his time amongst creative endeavors from the tangible to the digital. In the past 25 years, he has developed and designed characters and worlds for many major companies, co-creating the Emmy nominated animated show “Robot And Monster” for Nickelodeon, “Boss Baby Back In Business” for Dreamworks TV, and is currently the co-executive producer on “The Rugrats” reboot for Nickelodeon. In addition to his media projects, Pressler is an accomplished painter and sculptor whose work shows in galleries all around the world. A natural extension of his production work in children’s entertainment, Pressler has also found success in illustration, with Back to School With Bigfoot and Bigfoot Wants a Little Brother. 

Never fear! With all the TV, books, space, and more, there’s still time to make tactile art which can be found at www.davepresslerart.com.