Peter Stephens

Peter Stephens "Sugar Poppy" 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

Peter Stephens Rob Roy, 2025 acrylic on wood 30 x 46 in. (ste033)

Peter Stephens Quadrivium 65, 2024 acrylic and collage on paper 30 x 22 in image size: 12 x 16½ in (ste025)

Peter Stephens Quadrivium 70, 2024 acrylic and collage on paper 30 x 22 in image size: 13 x 18 in (ste026)

floating frame. abstract :: Painting :: Abstract :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: Yes :: Signed: Yes :: Signatu...

Broad brush strokes and color composition confronts the viewer with a dynamic work of art. :: Painting :: Abstract :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity si...

In Melisa’s optical and pulsating compositions, the natural world acts as blue-print while she explores the notion of the sublime through blur and precision. The artist develops an a...

In this series the artist reflects on how the title of a work influences its meaning, and names each painting with an almost random title. The name of a pop music artist in code. :: ...