Woman with Fishbowl: #2, in progress

I've been working on a painting of two artists, twins, in their studio, which is coming along quite well, but have put it aside for a couple weeks to spend some time on a simpler composition of a woman holding a fishbowl - a narrative theme that has recurred in my paintings several times over the years.

Woman with Fishbowl: #2

in progress, oil on linen, 17" x 15"

The background is all that's left to do and my main decision now is what colors to paint the stripes on the upper half of the wall: in light reds or in pale ivory tones. The lower half will be white wainscoting. I'm also toying with the idea of adding a cat - Mr. Epps - in the lower left corner. He's not in the original drawings. Will see. 

I tried a number of colors for the blouse, beginning with blue. As a complementary color to the orange color of the fish, a blue should have created a lively energy, but all the ones I mixed seemed flat instead. Greens and purples were no better, and a dark grey, while seeming hopeful, also didn't work. When I finally tried red, it immediately felt right. The quiet harmony of the orange against the red suited the mood. 

Here are two earlier paintings on the theme:

Woman with Fishbowl

1997, oil on linen, 18" x 18"

Private collection, New York

Claire

1980, oil on masonite, 3.5" x 4.5"

Private collection, Connecticut

Mr. Epps made his first appearance in the above painting, being Claire's cat. Meanwhile, the fish has grown over the years.

Charlie's Go Round

Charlie's Go Round

2018, oil on linen, 16" x 12"

The initial idea for this painting came to me during a conversation about art with an old friend. We had just finished dinner at a Mexican restaurant when he asked me what criteria was used by critics and curators to determine an artist's importance. He continued to say that in his opinion the contemporary art he saw - even in highly respected venues -  varied greatly in quality, ranging from sublime to superficial. He didn't understand why it was that way. My insight was expected.

Though I've read more than my share of art criticism and theory, the question can certainly be baffling. In the course of art history, there have been many movements, many responses to the human experience, that have created an expanding complexity of thought about the nature of art. When I consider works of the Renaissance, there does appear to be more consistent discretion by the patrons toward the abilities and reputations of artists. However, the definition of art was much more narrow then, with rules limiting what an artist could do.

Other than offering those obvious thoughts, I really had no easy answer for my friend. He was looking as glum as a portrait of Emiliano Zapata nearby on the wall. Fortunately, the flan arrived. 

The painting within this painting came out of that discussion - I was doodling some sort of arcane explanation on a paper napkin - though its original concept in my mind was pink and black:

There are three drawings related to this painting, all similar except in size; here's the second one:

drawing #2

2018, pencil on graph paper with pastel tone on reverse, 12" x 10"

Kathleen's Heart

Kathleen's Heart

2018, oil on linen, 11" x 8"

I've carried this composition in my head since 1975 ... an image of a lovely woman I once knew who had heart surgery, ever cheerful despite the experience. I have no idea what became of her.

The palette is purposely subdued, her hair and scar the brightest tones, complemented by her blue eyes and the green horizontal stripe on her blouse. The colors suit the narrative, but the palette is also a color study for a larger painting I'm about to begin of two sisters, artists, in their studio.

A drawing for this composition floated around the studio for years - it's now lost - and then four or five years ago I drew it again on an 8" x 6" canvas where it lingered until early this month when I made a larger drawing that was 11" x 8".

My intention was simply to realize an image and composition that was based on a memory. After the painting was finished, standing back and looking at it, I suddenly thought about the many Renaissance paintings of saints, imagined portraits, who are identified by the inclusion of an iconographic symbol: Saint Catherine with a spiked wheel, Saint Ambrose with a beehive, Saint Lucy with her eyes on a plate or on a stalk. The strong influence of the early Italian painters upon my work amuses me at times like this ... how it subconsciously affects me. 

Saint Lucy
Francesco del Cossa (ca. 1430 - ca. 14770
ca. 1473/1474,  30" x 22" tempera on panel
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Here are the two drawings for Kathleen's Heart:

drawing #2

2018, pencil on graph paper with pastel tone on reverse, 11" x 8"

drawing #1

pencil and ink on primed canvas, 7 1/2" x 6"

Woman Burning a Photo

Woman Burning a Photo

12 1/2" x 10", oil on linen, 2018

I've long held the belief that the viewer should be free to make their own interpretation about the meaning of the narratives in my work. Not wanting to influence the viewer's thinking, I rarely say much about what a painting may mean to me; my titles are usually minimal for the same reason. That said, I enjoy hearing people's interpretations, and the ideas about the same painting can sometimes be wildly different.

In my ongoing solo exhibition in Boston, Adam Adelson, Director of Adelson Galleries Boston, wrote short wall texts for each painting exhibited. Here's what he wrote about this painting:

"An image of a man begins to ignite in the hands of a woman who stands over a table – set with a candle and dish with water.  The ritual of burning this image appears premeditated, as she’s ready to extinguish the flame as soon as it destroys the image.  She and her dog watch the flame start to engulf an image of the older, unassuming gentleman.  We are not sure what her relationship is to this man, but it’s apparent that he had harmed her in some way.  Clearly, the man is not as innocent as he seems in the photograph.  We have all experienced ending an unhealthy relationship, and each person has their own process of letting go so that they can move on with their life.  The woman’s private ceremony unburdens her without harming anyone." 

Other interpretations are also welcome.

This composition took four drawings to fully develop:

Woman Burning a Photo, drawing #1
10" x 11", pencil on paper, 2018

Initially, the woman was using a match to burn the photo. A painting of a dog - perhaps looking more like an anteater than a dog - was behind her on the wall.

In the next drawing, the dog went from an image on the wall to becoming the woman's companion by her side, the hand-held match became a candle, and a bowl of water was included to eventually extinguish the fire. I also added the androgynous figure, a witness.

Woman Burning a Photo, drawing #2
9" x 9", pencil on paper, 2018

The second person was removed in the third drawing; he/she seemed to dilute the narrative and I felt the composition was stronger with just the single figure. The faithful dog remained.

Woman Burning a Photo, drawing #3

10" x 8", pencil on graph paper, 2018

The final drawing was an enlargement of #3:

Woman Burning a Photo, drawing #4

12 1/2" x 10", pencil on graph paper with green oxide pastel tone on reverse, 2018

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Haley Smoking

New painting:

Haley Smoking

7 1/2" x 6", oil on linen, 2018

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Upcoming solo exhibition in Boston:

Contemplating Figures

Andrew Stevovich

May 4th through June 24th, 2018

opening reception

Friday, May 4^th, 6 – 8 pm

Adelson Galleries Boston

520 Harrison Avenue

Boston, MA 02118

617.832.0633

www.adelsongalleriesboston.com

Nadine with a Cigarette

A new painting of Nadine ...around the twelfth time she's made an appearance in my work since 1974; usually she's alone, though in four paintings she's with other figures. Since I'm counting, this is also the ninth painting I've done of a single individual smoking.

Nadine with a Cigarette

9 1/2" x 7", oil on linen, 2018

Three earlier paintings of Nadine:

Nadine with Espresso

24" x 17", oil on linen, 1998

Private Collection, New York

Nadine's New Dress

6" x 4", oil on linen, 2009

Nadine with Two Demons

7 1/2" x 4 1/2", oil on linen, 1998

Private Collection, England

And here's one time when - by way of three posters on a wall - she was transformed into a chanteuse:

The French Singer

28" x 36", oil on linen, 1998

Private Collection, New York

Eddie's Brother

Eddie's Brother

8" x 6", oil on linen, 2018

This composition was developed with just two drawings. The first one was made over twenty years ago and added to my collection of drawings - ideas for future paintings - where it would resurface from time to time. 

Eddie's Brother (drawing. #1)

5" x 3 1/4", pencil on graph paper, 1996

For whatever reason, it caught my eye three weeks ago and I felt it was time to realize it in paint. I made a second and larger drawing, and used it to transfer the image to the linen:

Eddie's Brother (drawing #2)

8" x 6", pencil on paper with burnt sienna pastel tone on reverse, 2018

A different man carrying a similar bundle appeared in a 1984 painting:

Carnival

8" x 13", oil on linen, 1984

Private Collection, Massachusetts

Two Women with a Monkey

The second of my monkey paintings is finished:

Two Woman with a Monkey

18" x 20", oil on linen, 2017-2018

There are four significant changes between the painting and the final drawing: the monkey's position, the structure of the porch, the right arm of the blonde woman, and the addition of two more oranges.

Two Women with a Monkey (drawing #2, final)
18" x 20", pencil on paper with pastel tone on reverse, 2017

The first orange - the one being offered to the monkey - provided a bright warm note in a composition that I planned to fill with cool greens and blues as well as greys and blacks. However, as the painting progressed, I had the idea to add two more oranges which proved fortuitous, creating a subtle circular movement with more energy and interest.

detail, ca. 13" x 8"

There are two more drawings related to this painting: the initial sketch and a monkey study for the new position on the table.

Two Women with a Monkey (drawing #1)

6 1/2" x 7 3/4", pencil on graph paper, 2017

Two Women with a Monkey (monkey study)

8 1/2" x 12 1/2", pencil on paper with pastel tone on reverse, 2017

This concludes my monkey paintings for now, though I have a couple other drawings with potential, including one with a lot of monkeys. Will see. 

Lots of Monkeys

7" x 8", pencil on graph paper, 2017