Artist Focus: Stephen Schubert

Artist Stephen Schubert is obsessed with the space in between things. “I’m referring to both material things and that which is unseen,” he explains. “What is about to be and what just was. Nothing is ever static, and I try to capture the nuances of this part of life.”Origin, acrylic on birch panel, 72 x 72"

Schubert works on birch panels because they remind him of a stage, where he started his first career as an actor. After prepping the front and back of a framed birch panel, Schubert has a semi-circle of gallon paints opened at the ready. Kitchen tools, foam, rags, boards and anything from Home Depot can make interesting painting mates, although he primarily uses a spackle knife. Lavish, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60"

“Dragging, spraying, dripping, smearing and scraping are all part of the process,” Schubert says. “Varying amounts of pressure applied with my spackle knife enables me to create some control over the haphazard nature of my approach. I lay down up to 15 layers of paint and frequently finish the piece with a resin topcoat. Alternating this application with paint, resin, paint, resin numerous times renders a startling effect in which the paint layers appear to ‘float’ above the other layers. This causes light to be trapped between the layers, giving a wonderful sense of inner illumination.”Sunrise Entrance, acrylic on birch panel with resin, 72 x 48"

Schubert often incorporates heavy texture, color fields, realism, words and iridescent mica flecked paints into the work. One color, shape or tone tells him what is needed next. The process becomes mostly unconscious, and as the process flies along, he holds on and sometimes he leads.

“I’m drawn to the abstract genre because viewing this work triggers responses within people who often express themselves in very personal and revealing ways,” he says. “I love that this opens us up to each other.” —

Want to See More?
(818) 421-9781 | www.schubertmodern.com
schubertmodern@gmail.com

Represented by Hanson Gallery
669 Bridgeway | Sausalito, CA 94965
(415) 332-1815 | www.hansongalleryfineart.com
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