Rick Stevens Paintings

"My work may be seen as an open window to other realms. Its visual vocabulary has evolved from years of painting the landscape. I think of nature as a continuous flow of shapes and patterns of energy that has, or more precisely is, an intelligent force. There has been a resurgence in the field of science (especially in physics) that corresponds with the domain of mystics. Matter and energy are interchangeable, all the forces and particles in nature are one, just different ripples on the the ocean of consciousness: a Unified Field. My process is a journey of exploration of color, light, texture and the poetics of space. A sense of structure is important to me, but I avoid strong divisions. I require a certain ‘fluidity’ where everything is flowing into the next thing. My compositions are infused with an overall light that is all-inclusive. A sort of self generating light rather than one coming from an external source. This doesn’t allow anything to be read as separate from the whole. There is diversity, just like in the natural world, but there is an underlying unity that is apparent. -Rick Stevens

"My work may be seen as an open window to other realms. Its visual vocabulary has evolved from years of painting the landscape. I think of nature as a continuous flow of shapes and patterns of energy that has, or more precisely is, an intelligent force. There has been a resurgence in the field of science (especially in physics) that corresponds with the domain of mystics. Matter and energy are interchangeable, all the forces and particles in nature are one, just different ripples on the the ocean of consciousness: a Unified Field. My process is a journey of exploration of color, light, texture and the poetics of space. A sense of structure is important to me, but I avoid strong divisions. I require a certain ‘fluidity’ where everything is flowing into the next thing. My compositions are infused with an overall light that is all-inclusive. A sort of self generating light rather than one coming from an external source. This doesn’t allow anything to be read as separate from the whole. There is diversity, just like in the natural world, but there is an underlying unity that is apparent. -Rick Stevens

"My work may be seen as an open window to other realms. Its visual vocabulary has evolved from years of painting the landscape. I think of nature as a continuous flow of shapes and patterns of energy that has, or more precisely is, an intelligent force. There has been a resurgence in the field of science (especially in physics) that corresponds with the domain of mystics. Matter and energy are interchangeable, all the forces and particles in nature are one, just different ripples on the the ocean of consciousness: a Unified Field. My process is a journey of exploration of color, light, texture and the poetics of space. A sense of structure is important to me, but I avoid strong divisions. I require a certain ‘fluidity’ where everything is flowing into the next thing. My compositions are infused with an overall light that is all-inclusive. A sort of self generating light rather than one coming from an external source. This doesn’t allow anything to be read as separate from the whole. There is diversity, just like in the natural world, but there is an underlying unity that is apparent. -Rick Stevens

Dialing Up The Magic by artist Rick Stevens is a purple, red, green and gold contemporary abstract landscape oil on canvas painting that measures 32 x 32 and is priced at $6,800. Ar...

Artist's Statement My work may be seen as an open window to other realms. Its visual vocabulary has evolved from years of painting the landscape. Although I no longer consider myself a landscape painter nature continues to be my muse. I think of nature as a continuous flow of shapes and patterns of energy that has, or more precisely is, an intelligent force. Most modern day physicists will tell us that all the forces and particles in nature are one, just different ripples on the ocean of consciousness: a Unified Field. While acknowledging a debt to the abstract expressionists I don’t consider myself ‘of that school’. That movement tended to focus our attention upon the work as a thing in itself, identified with the art-process. While I wish to stay true to the modernist idea of process-oriented art, behind my shapes and colors on the picture surface there is always another realm, another order of meaning, however abstract that meaning may be. A sense of structure is important to me, but I avoid strong divisions. I require a certain ‘fluidity’ where everything is flowing into the next thing. My compositions are infused with an overall light that is all-inclusive. This doesn’t allow anything to be read as separate from the whole. There is diversity, just like in the natural world, but there is an underlying unity that is apparent. I sometimes use preliminary sketches as beginning compositions for paintings and pastels. Much of my process is improvised, allowing the work to evolve organically. ~ Rick Stevens Education 1982 Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, Michigan Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree 1979-81 Kendall School of Design 1977-79 Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, Michigan Solo Exhibitions 2014 Wilderness Within Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2013 Domain of Intangibles Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Nothing But Life Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2012 Weaving Worlds Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Perpetual Unfolding Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM Shaping the Unknown Gallery KH Chicago, IL 2011 Potentiality Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2010 Luminous Terrain Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Between Connections Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2009 Picture Music Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, New Mexico Invoking the Unknown Gallery KH Chicago, Illinois 2008 Diverging Elements Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM Directional Developments Gallery KH Chicago, IL 2007 Evolving Structures Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2006 Emerging Balance Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2002 Nature's Harmony Hankins Gallery Lansing, MI Beaver Island Perspective Montaage, Beaver Island, MI 2001 New Work Michael FitzSimmons Dec. Arts Chicago, IL 2000 Light and Reflection Hankins Gallery Lansing, MI Mindscape/Landscape The Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan 1999 New Paintings The David Klein Gallery Birmingham, MI Land, Light, and Luminosity LaFontsee Galleries Grand Rapids, MI 1997 Elemental Harmony Brauer Museum of Art Valparaiso, IN 1995 Fountain Street Church Grand Rapids, Michigan 1994 God’s Quiet Things; illustrations from the picturebook Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI Witness Newaygo County Council for the Arts Fremont, MI 1993 Isle Royale Artist-in-Residence Exhibition Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1992 Re-Emergence Shibui Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI 1991 Secrets of Balance Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1990 Lowell Area Arts Council Lowell, MI 1989 Sylvan Light Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, MI 1988 Realms of Nature: Unfolding Patterns Muskegon Museum of Art Muskegon, MI 1986 Fountain Street Church Grand Rapids, Michigan 1984 Elementary Harmony City Art Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1983 Partners Gallery Lansing, MI Spirit of Landscape City Art Gallery Grand Rapids, MI Group Exhibitions 2013 Three Painters Paint Hunter Kirkland Conteporary Santa Fe, NM Lanscapes Of The Mind Thomas Deans Fine Art Atlanta, GA 2012 The Line Reynolds Fine Art, New Haven, Connecticut 2009 Annual Show of New York Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2008-2009 Rhythms of Nature Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ 2003 Natural Code LaFontsee Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 2001 Common Ground LaFontsee Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI 2003, 01, 00, 98 Featured Artist Edgewood Orchard Gallery Fish Creek, Wisconsin 2000 Sympathetic Resonance Michael FitzSimmons Decorative Arts Chicago, IL 1997-98 The New Regionalism traveling exhibition Suomi College of Art & Design Hancock, MI Bonifas Fine Arts Center Escanaba, MI Art Center of Battle Creek Battle Creek, Michigan Krasl Art Center St. Joseph, Michigan Port Huron Museum Port Huron, Michigan 2 Person Show Main Street Gallery Leland, MI Personal Perspectives (2 person show) LaFontsee Galleries Grand Rapids, MI The Genius of Place Buckham Gallery Flint, MI The Leelanau Connection Midland Center for the Arts Midland, MI 1996 Intimate Rhythms, (two person) South Haven Center for the Arts South Haven, MI Patterns in Nature, (two person) Main Street Gallery Leland, MI Considering the Landscape LaFontsee Galleries Grand Rapids, MI 1995 Discovering Ourselves: Portraits in Art Muskegon Museum of Art 1993 An American Landscape Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1992 Dance of Light Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1990 The 11th Michigan Biennial: Recent Trends in Painting traveling exhibition Kresge Art Museum Saginaw Art Museum Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Ella Sharpe Museum 197 Mortal Light Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts Grand Rapids, MI Awards 2003 Festival Award ($500), Festival Visual Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan 2001 First Place Festival Award ($1000), Festival Visual Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1999 Best of Show, 11th Annual Juried Exhibition, Holland Area Arts Council, Holland, Michigan 1998 Best of Show, West Michigan Regional Competition, Lowell Area Arts Council 1998 Third Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1997 Brickley DeLong Award, Regional Exhibition, Muskegon Museum of Art Perugino Award (First Place), A Renaissance Garden, Grand Rapids Art Museum 1996 First Place, Unique Perspectives, Franciscan Life Development Center, Lowell, MI Second Place, Holland Friends of Art Annual Competition, Holland, MI Purchase Award ($3500) Festival Visual Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, MI Best 2-D, West Michigan Regional Competition, Lowell, MI 1995 Best of Show, Holland Friends of Art Annual Competition, Holland, Michigan Henry Witt Buick Painting Award, Regional Exhibition, Muskegon Museum of Art 1994 Saginaw County Purchase Award ($500), State of the Arts Annual Exhibit 1991 Second Place, Holland Friends of Art 28th Annual Competition, Holland, Michigan 1989 Second Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1988 Friends of Art Award, Regional Exhibit, Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, Michigan 1987 Second Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1986 First Place, Winterfest, Holland, Michigan First Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1984 Festival Award and City Purchase Award, Festival, Grand Rapids, MI Best of Show, Art in the Park, Birmingham, MI 1983 Best of Show and Best Display, Ramparts: Affairs of the Arts, Grand Rapids, MI Collections Almutiaq Group, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia World Trade Center Hotel, Beijing China Goldman Sachs, NY St. Johns College, MD Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart, GA, FL RDV Sportsplex, FL Brauer Museum of Art Muskegon Museum of Art Grand Valley State University Governors Mansion, Mackinac Island, Michigan Herman Miller Dow Chemicals Steelcase, Inc. Bissell, Inc. Calvin College Northern Trust, Milwaudee, Wisconsin Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt and Howlett Warner, Norcross and Judd Michigan National Bank Beaumont Hospital Spectrum Health Alticor Residencies 2003 New Harmony, IN 1997 Acadia National Park, ME 1997 Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, IN 1995 Sleeping Bear Dunes...

Artist's Statement My work may be seen as an open window to other realms. Its visual vocabulary has evolved from years of painting the landscape. Although I no longer consider myself a landscape painter nature continues to be my muse. I think of nature as a continuous flow of shapes and patterns of energy that has, or more precisely is, an intelligent force. Most modern day physicists will tell us that all the forces and particles in nature are one, just different ripples on the ocean of consciousness: a Unified Field. While acknowledging a debt to the abstract expressionists I don’t consider myself ‘of that school’. That movement tended to focus our attention upon the work as a thing in itself, identified with the art-process. While I wish to stay true to the modernist idea of process-oriented art, behind my shapes and colors on the picture surface there is always another realm, another order of meaning, however abstract that meaning may be. A sense of structure is important to me, but I avoid strong divisions. I require a certain ‘fluidity’ where everything is flowing into the next thing. My compositions are infused with an overall light that is all-inclusive. This doesn’t allow anything to be read as separate from the whole. There is diversity, just like in the natural world, but there is an underlying unity that is apparent. I sometimes use preliminary sketches as beginning compositions for paintings and pastels. Much of my process is improvised, allowing the work to evolve organically. ~ Rick Stevens Education 1982 Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, Michigan Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree 1979-81 Kendall School of Design 1977-79 Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, Michigan Solo Exhibitions 2014 Wilderness Within Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe...

Artist's Statement My work may be seen as an open window to other realms. Its visual vocabulary has evolved from years of painting the landscape. Although I no longer consider myself a landscape painter nature continues to be my muse. I think of nature as a continuous flow of shapes and patterns of energy that has, or more precisely is, an intelligent force. Most modern day physicists will tell us that all the forces and particles in nature are one, just different ripples on the ocean of consciousness: a Unified Field. While acknowledging a debt to the abstract expressionists I don’t consider myself ‘of that school’. That movement tended to focus our attention upon the work as a thing in itself, identified with the art-process. While I wish to stay true to the modernist idea of process-oriented art, behind my shapes and colors on the picture surface there is always another realm, another order of meaning, however abstract that meaning may be. A sense of structure is important to me, but I avoid strong divisions. I require a certain ‘fluidity’ where everything is flowing into the next thing. My compositions are infused with an overall light that is all-inclusive. This doesn’t allow anything to be read as separate from the whole. There is diversity, just like in the natural world, but there is an underlying unity that is apparent. I sometimes use preliminary sketches as beginning compositions for paintings and pastels. Much of my process is improvised, allowing the work to evolve organically. ~ Rick Stevens Education 1982 Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, Michigan Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree 1979-81 Kendall School of Design 1977-79 Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, Michigan Solo Exhibitions 2014 Wilderness Within Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2013 Domain of Intangibles Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Nothing But Life Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2012 Weaving Worlds Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Perpetual Unfolding Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM Shaping the Unknown Gallery KH Chicago, IL 2011 Potentiality Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2010 Luminous Terrain Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Between Connections Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2009 Picture Music Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, New Mexico Invoking the Unknown Gallery KH Chicago, Illinois 2008 Diverging Elements Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM Directional Developments Gallery KH Chicago, IL 2007 Evolving Structures Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2006 Emerging Balance Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2002 Nature's Harmony Hankins Gallery Lansing, MI Beaver Island Perspective Montaage, Beaver Island, MI 2001 New Work Michael FitzSimmons Dec. Arts Chicago, IL 2000 Light and Reflection Hankins Gallery Lansing, MI Mindscape/Landscape The Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan 1999 New Paintings The David Klein Gallery Birmingham, MI Land, Light, and Luminosity LaFontsee Galleries Grand Rapids, MI 1997 Elemental Harmony Brauer Museum of Art Valparaiso, IN 1995 Fountain Street Church Grand Rapids, Michigan 1994 God’s Quiet Things; illustrations from the picturebook Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI Witness Newaygo County Council for the Arts Fremont, MI 1993 Isle Royale Artist-in-Residence Exhibition Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1992 Re-Emergence Shibui Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI 1991 Secrets of Balance Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1990 Lowell Area Arts Council Lowell, MI 1989 Sylvan Light Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, MI 1988 Realms of Nature: Unfolding Patterns Muskegon Museum of Art Muskegon, MI 1986 Fountain Street Church Grand Rapids, Michigan 1984 Elementary Harmony City Art Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1983 Partners Gallery Lansing, MI Spirit of Landscape City Art Gallery Grand Rapids, MI Group Exhibitions 2013 Three Painters Paint Hunter Kirkland Conteporary Santa Fe, NM Lanscapes Of The Mind Thomas Deans Fine Art Atlanta, GA 2012 The Line Reynolds Fine Art, New Haven, Connecticut 2009 Annual Show of New York Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2008-2009 Rhythms of Nature Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ 2003 Natural Code LaFontsee Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 2001 Common Ground LaFontsee Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI 2003, 01, 00, 98 Featured Artist Edgewood Orchard Gallery Fish Creek, Wisconsin 2000 Sympathetic Resonance Michael FitzSimmons Decorative Arts Chicago, IL 1997-98 The New Regionalism traveling exhibition Suomi College of Art & Design Hancock, MI Bonifas Fine Arts Center Escanaba, MI Art Center of Battle Creek Battle Creek, Michigan Krasl Art Center St. Joseph, Michigan Port Huron Museum Port Huron, Michigan 2 Person Show Main Street Gallery Leland, MI Personal Perspectives (2 person show) LaFontsee Galleries Grand Rapids, MI The Genius of Place Buckham Gallery Flint, MI The Leelanau Connection Midland Center for the Arts Midland, MI 1996 Intimate Rhythms, (two person) South Haven Center for the Arts South Haven, MI Patterns in Nature, (two person) Main Street Gallery Leland, MI Considering the Landscape LaFontsee Galleries Grand Rapids, MI 1995 Discovering Ourselves: Portraits in Art Muskegon Museum of Art 1993 An American Landscape Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1992 Dance of Light Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1990 The 11th Michigan Biennial: Recent Trends in Painting traveling exhibition Kresge Art Museum Saginaw Art Museum Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Ella Sharpe Museum 197 Mortal Light Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts Grand Rapids, MI Awards 2003 Festival Award ($500), Festival Visual Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan 2001 First Place Festival Award ($1000), Festival Visual Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1999 Best of Show, 11th Annual Juried Exhibition, Holland Area Arts Council, Holland, Michigan 1998 Best of Show, West Michigan Regional Competition, Lowell Area Arts Council 1998 Third Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1997 Brickley DeLong Award, Regional Exhibition, Muskegon Museum of Art Perugino Award (First Place), A Renaissance Garden, Grand Rapids Art Museum 1996 First Place, Unique Perspectives, Franciscan Life Development Center, Lowell, MI Second Place, Holland Friends of Art Annual Competition, Holland, MI Purchase Award ($3500) Festival Visual Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, MI Best 2-D, West Michigan Regional Competition, Lowell, MI 1995 Best of Show, Holland Friends of Art Annual Competition, Holland, Michigan Henry Witt Buick Painting Award, Regional Exhibition, Muskegon Museum of Art 1994 Saginaw County Purchase Award ($500), State of the Arts Annual Exhibit 1991 Second Place, Holland Friends of Art 28th Annual Competition, Holland, Michigan 1989 Second Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1988 Friends of Art Award, Regional Exhibit, Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, Michigan 1987 Second Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1986 First Place, Winterfest, Holland, Michigan First Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1984 Festival Award and City Purchase Award, Festival, Grand Rapids, MI Best of Show, Art in the Park, Birmingham, MI 1983 Best of Show and Best Display, Ramparts: Affairs of the Arts, Grand Rapids, MI Collections Almutiaq Group, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia World Trade Center Hotel, Beijing China Goldman Sachs, NY St. Johns College, MD Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart, GA, FL RDV Sportsplex, FL Brauer Museum of Art Muskegon Museum of Art Grand Valley State University Governors Mansion, Mackinac Island, Michigan Herman Miller Dow Chemicals Steelcase, Inc. Bissell, Inc. Calvin College Northern Trust, Milwaudee, Wisconsin Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt and Howlett Warner, Norcross and Judd Michigan National Bank Beaumont Hospital Spectrum Health Alticor Residencies 2003 New Harmony, IN 1997 Acadia National Park, ME 1997 Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, IN 1995 Sleeping Bear Dunes...

Artist's Statement My work may be seen as an open window to other realms. Its visual vocabulary has evolved from years of painting the landscape. Although I no longer consider myself a landscape painter nature continues to be my muse. I think of nature as a continuous flow of shapes and patterns of energy that has, or more precisely is, an intelligent force. Most modern day physicists will tell us that all the forces and particles in nature are one, just different ripples on the ocean of consciousness: a Unified Field. While acknowledging a debt to the abstract expressionists I don’t consider myself ‘of that school’. That movement tended to focus our attention upon the work as a thing in itself, identified with the art-process. While I wish to stay true to the modernist idea of process-oriented art, behind my shapes and colors on the picture surface there is always another realm, another order of meaning, however abstract that meaning may be. A sense of structure is important to me, but I avoid strong divisions. I require a certain ‘fluidity’ where everything is flowing into the next thing. My compositions are infused with an overall light that is all-inclusive. This doesn’t allow anything to be read as separate from the whole. There is diversity, just like in the natural world, but there is an underlying unity that is apparent. I sometimes use preliminary sketches as beginning compositions for paintings and pastels. Much of my process is improvised, allowing the work to evolve organically. ~ Rick Stevens Education 1982 Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, Michigan Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree 1979-81 Kendall School of Design 1977-79 Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, Michigan Solo Exhibitions 2014 Wilderness Within Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2013 Domain of Intangibles Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Nothing But Life Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2012 Weaving Worlds Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Perpetual Unfolding Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM Shaping the Unknown Gallery KH Chicago, IL 2011 Potentiality Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2010 Luminous Terrain Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Between Connections Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2009 Picture Music Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, New Mexico Invoking the Unknown Gallery KH Chicago, Illinois 2008 Diverging Elements Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM Directional Developments Gallery KH Chicago, IL 2007 Evolving Structures Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2006 Emerging Balance Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2002 Nature's Harmony Hankins Gallery Lansing, MI Beaver Island Perspective Montaage, Beaver Island, MI 2001 New Work Michael FitzSimmons Dec. Arts Chicago, IL 2000 Light and Reflection Hankins Gallery Lansing, MI Mindscape/Landscape The Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan 1999 New Paintings The David Klein Gallery Birmingham, MI Land, Light, and Luminosity LaFontsee Galleries Grand Rapids, MI 1997 Elemental Harmony Brauer Museum of Art Valparaiso, IN 1995 Fountain Street Church Grand Rapids, Michigan 1994 God’s Quiet Things; illustrations from the picturebook Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI Witness Newaygo County Council for the Arts Fremont, MI 1993 Isle Royale...

Artist's Statement My work may be seen as an open window to other realms. Its visual vocabulary has evolved from years of painting the landscape. Although I no longer consider myself a landscape painter nature continues to be my muse. I think of nature as a continuous flow of shapes and patterns of energy that has, or more precisely is, an intelligent force. Most modern day physicists will tell us that all the forces and particles in nature are one, just different ripples on the ocean of consciousness: a Unified Field. While acknowledging a debt to the abstract expressionists I don’t consider myself ‘of that school’. That movement tended to focus our attention upon the work as a thing in itself, identified with the art-process. While I wish to stay true to the modernist idea of process-oriented art, behind my shapes and colors on the picture surface there is always another realm, another order of meaning, however abstract that meaning may be. A sense of structure is important to me, but I avoid strong divisions. I require a certain ‘fluidity’ where everything is flowing into the next thing. My compositions are infused with an overall light that is all-inclusive. This doesn’t allow anything to be read as separate from the whole. There is diversity, just like in the natural world, but there is an underlying unity that is apparent. I sometimes use preliminary sketches as beginning compositions for paintings and pastels. Much of my process is improvised, allowing the work to evolve organically. ~ Rick Stevens Education 1982 Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, Michigan Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree 1979-81 Kendall School of Design 1977-79 Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, Michigan Solo Exhibitions 2014 Wilderness Within Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2013 Domain of Intangibles Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Nothing But Life Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2012 Weaving Worlds Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Perpetual Unfolding Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM Shaping the Unknown Gallery KH Chicago, IL 2011 Potentiality Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2010 Luminous Terrain Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ Between Connections Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2009 Picture Music Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, New Mexico Invoking the Unknown Gallery KH Chicago, Illinois 2008 Diverging Elements Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM Directional Developments Gallery KH Chicago, IL 2007 Evolving Structures Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2006 Emerging Balance Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2002 Nature's Harmony Hankins Gallery Lansing, MI Beaver Island Perspective Montaage, Beaver Island, MI 2001 New Work Michael FitzSimmons Dec. Arts Chicago, IL 2000 Light and Reflection Hankins Gallery Lansing, MI Mindscape/Landscape The Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan 1999 New Paintings The David Klein Gallery Birmingham, MI Land, Light, and Luminosity LaFontsee Galleries Grand Rapids, MI 1997 Elemental Harmony Brauer Museum of Art Valparaiso, IN 1995 Fountain Street Church Grand Rapids, Michigan 1994 God’s Quiet Things; illustrations from the picturebook Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI Witness Newaygo County Council for the Arts Fremont, MI 1993 Isle Royale Artist-in-Residence Exhibition Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1992 Re-Emergence Shibui Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI 1991 Secrets of Balance Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1990 Lowell Area Arts Council Lowell, MI 1989 Sylvan Light Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, MI 1988 Realms of Nature: Unfolding Patterns Muskegon Museum of Art Muskegon, MI 1986 Fountain Street Church Grand Rapids, Michigan 1984 Elementary Harmony City Art Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1983 Partners Gallery Lansing, MI Spirit of Landscape City Art Gallery Grand Rapids, MI Group Exhibitions 2013 Three Painters Paint Hunter Kirkland Conteporary Santa Fe, NM Lanscapes Of The Mind Thomas Deans Fine Art Atlanta, GA 2012 The Line Reynolds Fine Art, New Haven, Connecticut 2009 Annual Show of New York Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Santa Fe, NM 2008-2009 Rhythms of Nature Mark Gallery Englewood, NJ 2003 Natural Code LaFontsee Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 2001 Common Ground LaFontsee Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI 2003, 01, 00, 98 Featured Artist Edgewood Orchard Gallery Fish Creek, Wisconsin 2000 Sympathetic Resonance Michael FitzSimmons Decorative Arts Chicago, IL 1997-98 The New Regionalism traveling exhibition Suomi College of Art & Design Hancock, MI Bonifas Fine Arts Center Escanaba, MI Art Center of Battle Creek Battle Creek, Michigan Krasl Art Center St. Joseph, Michigan Port Huron Museum Port Huron, Michigan 2 Person Show Main Street Gallery Leland, MI Personal Perspectives (2 person show) LaFontsee Galleries Grand Rapids, MI The Genius of Place Buckham Gallery Flint, MI The Leelanau Connection Midland Center for the Arts Midland, MI 1996 Intimate Rhythms, (two person) South Haven Center for the Arts South Haven, MI Patterns in Nature, (two person) Main Street Gallery Leland, MI Considering the Landscape LaFontsee Galleries Grand Rapids, MI 1995 Discovering Ourselves: Portraits in Art Muskegon Museum of Art 1993 An American Landscape Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1992 Dance of Light Shibui Gallery Grand Rapids, MI 1990 The 11th Michigan Biennial: Recent Trends in Painting traveling exhibition Kresge Art Museum Saginaw Art Museum Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Ella Sharpe Museum 197 Mortal Light Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts Grand Rapids, MI Awards 2003 Festival Award ($500), Festival Visual Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan 2001 First Place Festival Award ($1000), Festival Visual Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1999 Best of Show, 11th Annual Juried Exhibition, Holland Area Arts Council, Holland, Michigan 1998 Best of Show, West Michigan Regional Competition, Lowell Area Arts Council 1998 Third Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1997 Brickley DeLong Award, Regional Exhibition, Muskegon Museum of Art Perugino Award (First Place), A Renaissance Garden, Grand Rapids Art Museum 1996 First Place, Unique Perspectives, Franciscan Life Development Center, Lowell, MI Second Place, Holland Friends of Art Annual Competition, Holland, MI Purchase Award ($3500) Festival Visual Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, MI Best 2-D, West Michigan Regional Competition, Lowell, MI 1995 Best of Show, Holland Friends of Art Annual Competition, Holland, Michigan Henry Witt Buick Painting Award, Regional Exhibition, Muskegon Museum of Art 1994 Saginaw County Purchase Award ($500), State of the Arts Annual Exhibit 1991 Second Place, Holland Friends of Art 28th Annual Competition, Holland, Michigan 1989 Second Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1988 Friends of Art Award, Regional Exhibit, Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, Michigan 1987 Second Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1986 First Place, Winterfest, Holland, Michigan First Place, Celebration: A Festival of Religious Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1984 Festival Award and City Purchase Award, Festival, Grand Rapids, MI Best of Show, Art in the Park, Birmingham, MI 1983 Best of Show and Best Display, Ramparts: Affairs of the Arts, Grand Rapids, MI Collections Almutiaq Group, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia World Trade Center Hotel, Beijing China Goldman Sachs, NY St. Johns College, MD Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart, GA, FL RDV Sportsplex, FL Brauer Museum of Art Muskegon Museum of Art Grand Valley State University Governors Mansion, Mackinac Island, Michigan Herman Miller Dow Chemicals Steelcase, Inc. Bissell, Inc. Calvin College Northern Trust, Milwaudee, Wisconsin Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt and Howlett Warner, Norcross and Judd Michigan National Bank Beaumont Hospital Spectrum Health Alticor Residencies 2003 New Harmony, IN 1997 Acadia National Park, ME 1997 Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, IN 1995 Sleeping Bear Dunes...

Artist's Statement My work may be seen as an open window to other realms. Its visual vocabulary has evolved from years of painting the landscape. Although I no longer consider myself a landscape painter nature continues to be my muse. I think of nature as a continuous flow of shapes and patterns of energy that has, or more precisely is, an intelligent force. Most modern day physicists will tell us that all the forces and particles in nature are one, just different ripples on the ocean of consciousness: a Unified Field. While acknowledging a debt to the abstract expressionists I don’t consider myself ‘of that school’. That movement tended to focus our attention upon the work as a thing in itself, identified with the art-process. While I wish to stay true to the modernist idea of process-oriented art, behind my shapes and colors on the picture surface there is always another realm, another order of meaning, however abstract that meaning may be. A sense of structure is important to me, but I avoid strong divisions. I require a certain ‘fluidity’ where everything is flowing into the next thing. My compositions are infused with an overall light that is all-inclusive. This doesn’t allow anything to be read as separate from the whole. There is diversity, just like in the natural world, but there is an underlying unity that is apparent. I sometimes use preliminary sketches as beginning compositions for paintings and pastels. Much of my process is improvised, allowing the work to evolve organically. ~ Rick Stevens...