Loraine Stephanson

I feel a substantial indebtedness to many of the great painters and sculptors of the past, although the major and direct influences in my work derive from the post-impressionist French masters, such as Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse. The theme of night skies has been ongoing for me, although I also work with more traditional landscape images. There is a mystical aspect to viewing the stars, as they still possess connotations of the unknown, despite great gains in our scientific knowledge. As these paintings are not dependent on chromatic color, this subject offers the opportunity to concentrate on elements of drawing and abstraction, while still maintaining a connection to a recognizable theme. I search for stillness and timelessness in my work, using a range of motifs such as night skies, interiors, and still lifes reminiscent of altars. I believe that the appreciation of a painting should be a visual, non-verbal experience, unencumbered by layers of overt "meaning", and that the issue of quality in art supersedes all others. The best pictures withstand the test of time, and that is my ambition for my own work.

Mt. Athabasca (From Wilcox Pass) - 1998
watercolor on winsor + newton, 22 in x 30 in