Jerald Melberg Gallery

Today, I spent 3 hours at the Jerald Melberg Gallery in Charlotte, NC. I had a wonderful time with some of the most generous people there. They took the time to take out 10 original paintings on linen, canvas, and paper. I learned so much all the while jaw dropped by the fantastic art. I am so impressed by what I have seen and can not keep from internalizing it and am sure that it will change the art I make.

Now I am needing to plan a trip to New York, because they said that if I am going to be in NY, then they would ask for a meeting for me with Brian Rutenberg. Crossing my fingers and hoping.

Anyway, just wanted to share the good news.

Thanks for joining me!
Stephen

A couple of my inspirations

I have found two artists with whom I am currently infatuated because of their use of color specifically and the contrast within each piece of muted vs. saturated. Mark Gould’s paintings have passages within them that are applied in a non representational way, but when made part of the whole, make sense more as an abstraction of something without fully knowing what it is. I appreciate the contrast between the recognizable and the unrecognizable. 

The second artist’s work I am infatuated with is Brian Rutenberg’s. He also deals with representing the natural world, but adopts Francis Bacon’s belief that “The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery” (Brimming Tides, Mark Sloan, pg. 4). THe way he deepens the mystery is by abstracting even more than Gould. His passages that appear non-representational take up a much larger percentage of the whole and leave only traces, a bone structure if you will, of the subject matter of the natural world.

They have inspired me to not only use more color, but be smarter about it. Using contrasts to strengthen the piece and avoid muddying the paint in the process. Using Muted areas that by contrast make the brighter saturated colors really shine. And also, I have learned from them that realism isn’t necessarily the best way to communicate the beauty of nature or of anything for that matter so long as you do what you do well. And, if you do what you do well, then no one can/should stop you from succeeding at it.

Sincerely,
Stephen

Gallery Opening Tonight in Columbia, South Carolina

Dear Friends,
There will be a gallery opening this evening and tomorrow evening at Gallery 80808 in Columbia, South Carolina. Tonight, my friend and colleague Jon Prichard will be performing a rendition of his thesis show that he will be performing at Winthrop University in early December.

Tomorrow Night (Friday October 15th) The 2D show will have an opening at the same Gallery. I am fortunate to have two pieces in the show and would be honored if anyone would see it. I will do my best to get an image of the pieces as they hang and post it for the majority who cant travel across the South East for an art show opening.

Thank you so much,
Stephen Lursen


Gallery 80808
808 Lady St, Columbia, SC 29201 Map
803 252-6134

Hello Again Friends,

I have updated my Flickr.com Gallery and would love for you to check it out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenlursen

Also, I just sold another painting to Starbucks Coffee Company. I hung the 8′ x 4′ piece in the Dilworth Store last Wednesday afternoon.

The store is at:
1401 East Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28203
7043389911

Looking forward to further updates,
Stephen

Today was the final critique for the end of the semester.

So here is a tour of my pieces as they were hung. They filled my studio, went down the hall, and I didn’t include the first half of the semester’s work.

In the critique it was suggested that I move the pieces around to break up the line. This is what it looks like in one formation.

Pieces inside of my studio.

More pieces out in the hall.



Mark Making

 

"BeBop'in Buggy"

This piece is 5 feet tall by 3 feet wide on canvas. I primed the canvas and then put a thick layer of gesso (primer) on the canvas and drew into it while it was still wet. I like the effect, but it is not visible in this image.

I created this piece while listening to Jazz music. Moving with the music was really fun. I enjoyed this one a lot.

"Explosion"
I primed a sheet of canvas about 5.5 feet tall by 3 feet wide and then proceeded to draw on it giving attention to line and the contrast that develops within a dense network of lines.
I call it “Explosion” because the fogged or painted spaces around the center looks like a fist clenching a mass made of lines. The hand is squeezing so tightly that the mass is exploding under the pressure.

"Untitled"

This piece is the largest so far of the mark making series at 4′ wide by 7′ tall.
This piece incorporates graphite, charcoal, conte, india ink, color pencil, and sanguine on paper.

"Frenzy"

This piece entitled “Frenzy” is 2′ wide x 4′ tall.

"Arieal Dogfight in a Tornado"
This one I thought about and saw an “Aerial Dogfight in a Tornado”
What do you think?

"The Monster"

This piece I affectionately entitled: “The Monster”. Unless of course you can come up with a better name for it…

Which way does it go?

 

I don’t know for sure which orientation this one should have.

I’ll put it to a vote…

When it is this orientation I call it “Storm Cloud”

When it is the opposite orientation, I call it “The Chandelier”

An Explosion of Line

Yesterday I went to the print shop to buy some paper. I ended up getting three pieces of medium sized (26″ x 40″) off-white paper. I have been scribbling quite a bit recently in an attempt to create art that is not from my head. Not logical art, not “larger than life”, not necessarily necessary art for any other reason than to appreciate the value of line. I feel I am breaking out of my “box”, the boundaries I have created for myself unconsciously.

Check out my image. I would love some comments if you have any thoughts.

Tribute to Mucha

If you haven’t looked at Mucha’s art recently, it is worth looking at again. I think so at least.

Here is my tribute to him. You can tell that I couldn’t stay away from the figure any longer and had to go back to work on a figurative piece.

This is an oil over gold leaf on canvas painting. Only 16″ x 20″. Small enough to be able to work quickly on.

What do you think?

I obviously add my own style to it. Some people may not even recognize Mucha’s influence, but I’m ok with that.

Here’s a pic of the studio. You get a better idea of how big (or small) 16″ x 20″ is.

Cubist Rain

This is a drawing I spent a few hours on.
Still trying to work on making art without the need for objects, but it isn’t easy for me.