Peter Stephens

Peter Stephens "Daisy Chain" Acrylic on Wood

2023

"I marvel at the fundamental forces of nature, the laws that determine the structure and behavior of matter, the ways and means of how the world looks the way it does. This interest in the science of the natural world led me to read deeply into the physics behind mechanisms of pattern generation. My painting language is based in these wonderments of systems and outcomes and the mathematics that describe them. These new paintings take form with an underlying grid of commercial paint sample cards. This allows me a spontaneous, interchangeable surface to explore color relationships and interactions within given parameters. The layers of acrylic matrix elements come next, all handwork applied line by line. As with numbers in equations, the quantities, sequences, repetitions, and rhythms all contribute to a rich optical blend of color combinations. A given set of colors results in an exponential number of different perceptions. Along with these pure abstractions of form and color come cultural references to histories of art and design with immediate associations to sumptuous textiles and complex architectural mosaics. The evolution of this work is ongoing, it will change and develop as each new mutation moves the morphology forward. These paintings are not illustrations of specific laws that shape the universe and ourselves but an artist’s answer to their implicit resonances. The paintings translate scientific inspirations into a visual, multilayered landscape that in layer after layer enfold one gradient of reality on another." - Peter Stephens

I marvel at the fundamental forces of nature, the laws that determine the structure and behavior of matter, the ways and means of how the world looks the way it does. This ...

Peter Stephens Quadrivium 78, 2024 acrylic and collage on paper 30 x 22 in image size:16 x 16 in (ste028)

Peter Stephens Quadrivium 82, 2025 acrylic and collage on paper 30 x 22 in image size: 17 x 13 in (ste030)

This is an original painting, 36" x 36" acrylic and fabric on 1.5" deep cradled panel. The sides of this piece are birchwood that's been sanded and finished, so the piece can be hung...

My paintings are fueled by my love of abstraction. The practice of making them involves appropriating, re-inventing, and mixing from many schools of art and diverse art movements fro...

Abstract. Vibrant. Painting. About the Artist: "I contemplate every color, mark, and placement of the line to formulate what I call rhythmic velocities: relationships of color and motion that give life to the composition, creating a heartbeat. I am interested in the duality of math and design: through repetition, a line made of color becomes a rhythmic pattern. This concept is found when composing music, organic landscapes and architectural structures. By referencing these sources, my abstractions transcend their formal components, reaching beyond a minimalist canon. My work is composed of hard edges and thin lines set against an abstract field or a pictorial space. Each color has a quickness that is relative to the colors surrounding it; this gives my paintings visual movement and dislocates the viewer. Through linear and geometric forms, my paintings explore design and mathematical concepts found broadly throughout culture. They are improvised from a wide range of sources such as my conversations with scholars in various fields of music, architecture and engineering, my life experiences and travels." Thomas Paul Raggio...

A grid-like matrix of gradients. :: Painting :: Abstract :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: Yes :: Signed: Yes ::...