Texas Panoramic Series “Bridging the Abstract”

Vol. 1

Artwork by Russell Stephenson

Edited by Gabriel Diego Delgado

All text by Gabriel Diego Delgado, unless otherwise noted.

All photography courtesy of the art, Russell Stephenson and J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art

© 2014 JR Mooney Galleries

Images: Salt II, Oil on Panel, 24” x 60” , $3,000.00

I “I came to understand that the Texas Hill Country has a client base that needs a higher level of under-

standing contemporary art. I knew that collectors in this location would not be on the cutting edge of con-

temporary art, but more in tune with the South Texas art scene. As a result, I began introducing the work

of contemporary artists into the Boerne location of J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art. Among them is Rus-

sell Stephenson, a San Antonio artist who does abstracted landscapes of Texas in a style that is beyond

impressionism and more about swatches of color and movement. In fact, his work has characteristics of

abstract expressionism.

So here we have a ‘bridging’ artist going from Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism— but, mingling in

the traditional sense of landscape painting, contextually it is not a huge leap for those interested in ex-

panding their existing art collections.”

-Gabriel Diego Delgado

Gallery Director, Boerne

*excerpts taken from

Aug. 2014 Art World News Magazine,

RUSSELL STEPHENSON

BIOGRAPHIC PROFILE________________________________________________________

Born: October 16, 1973, Abilene, TX

Married: June 26, 1999 to Sephra L. Stephenson; 1 child

EDUCATION________________________________________________________________ 2006 Master of Fine Arts, The University of Texas at San Antonio Emphasis: Printmaking; Thesis: Intuitionism

2001 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Pacific NW College of Art, Portland Oregon

Emphasis: Sculpture; Thesis: Revisiting the Spirit

1992-1993 Art Institute of Seattle, Seattle WA

Emphasis: Visual Communications

GALLERY REPRESENTATION______________________________________________

Anarte Gallery, San Antonio, TX

Laura Rathe Fine Art, Houston, TX

Laura Rathe Fine Art, Dallas, TX

Process Art House, Amarillo, TX

J R Mooney Gallery, Boerne, TX

SOLO EXHIBITIONS___________________________________________________________

2014 New Work, JR Mooney Galleries, Boerne, TX

Unveiling Texas, JR Mooney Galleries, Boerne, TX

2013 FROM ALPHA TO GAMMA, Anarte Gallery, San Antonio, TX

MEDITATIONS ON PAPER, Anarte Gallery, San Antonio, TX

2011 APPROACHING INFINITY, Anarte Gallery, San Antonio, TX

2010 TRI SYNTHESIS, Galleria Ortiz, San Antonio, TX

On and Off Fred; Open Studio Tour, Solasylum Gallery, San Antonio, TX

2009 COSM, C-Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX

2008 On and Off Fred; Open Studio Tour, BAYA Studios, San Antonio, TX

2007 A Return Home; New Work, Flame-One Gallery, Amarillo, TX

New Work: Digital Media, From Farm to Table, San Antonio, TX

2006 Intuitionism: A Critical Reflection on the Creation Process, MFA Solo Exhibi-tion, The UTSA Satellite Space, Blue Star Arts Complex, San Antonio, TX, Forth-coming, May 2006

Something Old, Something New: Solo Exhibition, Bihl Haus Arts, San Antonio, TX

Curator: Dr. Kellen McIntyre, Professor of Art History, The University of the Incar-nate Word, San Antonio, TX

The Little Things, Solo Exhibition, C-Art, San Antonio, TX, Forthcoming April 2006

The Art of Beauty, Texas Farm to Table, San Antonio, TX

2004 Simulations: Gallery E, The University of Texas at San Antonio

2001 Thesis Exhibition, Steven’s Studio and Gallery, Portland, OR

GROUP EXHIBITIONS _________________________________________________________________

2014 RED FALL, JR Mooney Galleries, Beorne, TX

2013 MEDITATIONS ON PAPER, Anarte Gallery, San Antonio, TX

CAM: SPRING EXHIBITION, Long Hall Gallery, San Antonio, TX

On and Off Fred: Open Studio Tour, Long Hall Gallery, San Antonio, TX

2012 GLOW: The Nuclear Show, Bihl Haus Arts, San Antonio, TX

THE RED DOT SHOW, Bluestar Arts, San Antonio, TX

2010 The Third Annual Group Show, The University of Texas Health and Science Center; Psychiatric Department, San Antonio, TX

On and Off Fred; Open Studio Tour, Solasylum Gallery, San Antonio, TX

2009 The Texas Cannons of Proportion: Objective Space, Bihl Haus Arts, San Antonio, TX

The Texas Cannons of Proportion: Paper Trail, Lonestar Studios, San Antonio, TX

Annual Faculty Exhibition, The International Academy of Design and Technology, San Antonio, TX

Revisitation, The Bluestar Arts Complex, San Antonio, TX

On and Off Fred Studio Tour 2, Sponsored by Bihl Haus Arts, San Antonio, TX

2008 Foundations and Alter-ations, RexContemporary, Beorne, TX

The Mind of Time, The University of Texas Health and Science Center: Psychiatric Department, San Antonio, TX

Curator: Dr. Lawrence S. Schoenfeld Ph.D., ABPP

The Texas Cannons of Proportion: The Middle of Somewhere, The Old Mason Warehouse, Mason, TX

Faculty Exhibition, The International Academy of Design and Technology, San Antonio, TX

2007 UTSA Biennial Faculty Exhibition, The University of Texas at San Antonio Art Gallery

Bihl Haus Arts 3rd

Anniversary Group Exhibition, Bihl Haus Arts, San Antonio, TX

2006 Gradiant, Radius Project Space, San Antonio, TX

Curator: Arturo Almeida, Joan Grona, Joan Grona Gallery, San Antonio, TX

Unlocked: UTSA Satellite Space, San Antonio, TX

Fire in the Belly: Bluestar Arts Complex, San Antonio, TX

Radius: Radius Art Space, San Antonio, TX

Arthouse 5X7 Show, Dunn and Brown Contemporary, Dallas, TX

San Antonio Arts and Eats, Tobin Estate, San Antonio, TX

2005 A Southern Perspective on Prints: The 2005 New Orleans Triennial, The New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA

Curator: Marilyn Cushner, Curator of Prints and Drawings for The Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn NY

UTSA Student Art Show: UTSA Satellite Space, Blue Star Arts Complex, San Antonio, TX

Curator: Kathryn Kanjo, Executive Director, ArtPace, San Antonio, TX

Face First, UTSA Satellite Space, Blue Star Arts Complex, San Antonio, TX

Resolutions: The 21st Annual Student Exhibition, The University of Texas at San Antonio Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX

Curator: Riley Robinson, Program Director at ArtPace, San Antonio, TX

Hand Pulled Prints, Joan Grona Gallery, San Antonio, TX

Curator: Francis Colpitt, Department Chair of The University Of Texas at San Antonio 2004 Print, Santa Raparata School of Art, Florence, Italy

Fire in the Belly, Blue Star Gallery, Blue Star Arts Complex, San Antonio, TX

Think Ink, Southwest School of Arts and Crafts, San Antonio, TX

Opus, UTSA Satellite Space, Blue Star Arts Complex, San Antonio, TX

2000 Drawings and Photos, Ron’s 23rd

Studio and Gallery, Portland, OR

13: A Sculpture Exhibition, Steven’s Studio and Gallery, Portland, OR

Sculpture, Manuel Izquierdo Sculpture Gallery, Portland, OR

1999 Paintings and Drawings, Phillip Feldman Gallery, Portland OR

Group Painting Exhibition, Phillip Feldman Gallery, Portland OR

Group Sculpture Exhibition, Phillip Feldman Gallery, Portland OR

BIBLIOGRAPHY_______________________________________________________________________

2014 “When to Bring in New Art and What to Choose”, Art World News, August 2014

“Unveiling Texas”, Gabriel Diego Delgado, NHome Texas, May/June 2014

“Artist – Noun Creative Entrepreneur: A Tale of Two Artists’ Driven Passions for Business Success”, Gabriel Diego Delgado, Company, Volume 2, issue 1, Feb/Mar 2014

2011 “Physical Style Creates Illusive Landscapes”, Elda Sylva, San Antonio, Express News 2011.

2009 “Revisitation: Messy, Yet Fascinating”, Steve Bennett, San Antonio Express News 2009.

“Fire in the Hole: How to Deal with the Past”, Elaine Wolff, San Antonio Current, 2009

2008 “Texas Cannons of Proportion; Collected Works”, Forward by Samuel Kho, Publication, 2008.

“Texas Cannons of Proportion; Exhibition Catalogue”, 2008.

Lee Ann Peavy, “The Middle of Somewhere”, Mason County News, Mason, TX, Oct 12, 2008, cover.

2006 Catherine Walworth, “ART CAPADES”, San Antonio Current, San Antonio, TX, May 18, 2006, pg 21.

Dan Goddard, “Gradient”, San Antonio Express News, San Antonio, TX, Feb 9, 2006

Tim Brownlee, “Unlocked”, UTSA Today, San Antonio, TX, April 11, 2006.

2005 George Roland, “A Southern Perspective on Prints: The 2005 New Orleans

Triennial”, Catalogue, The New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA, August 6, 2005, 15-16, 90-91.

“Face First”, Catalogue, The University of Texas at San Antonio, April 26, 2005, 5.

“2005 Hand Pulled Prints XII”, Catalogue, StoneMetal Press, March 31, 2005.

2004 “The Rio Review”, The Student Literary and Arts Journal of Austin Community College, Fall 2004, 11.

“Opus”, Catalogue, The University of Texas at San Antonio, April 24, 2004, 9.

SELLECTED COLLECTIONS____________________________________________________________

Amarillo National Bank, Amarillo, TX

Shepherd Kaplan LLC, San Antonio, TX

The Broadway High Rise Luxury Condominiums, San Antonio, TX

Penny Lane Boutique, San Antonio, TX

Alice Duran @ Greenstar Energy, San Antonio, TX

Jonothan Card @ Urbanist Design Architecture, San Antonio, TX

Timothy Blonkvist @ Overland Architects, San Antonio, TX

Austin Community College, Austin, TX

Dr. James Lehmann, San Anto

M M Artist Statement

“My work is created with loosely rendered and intuitively controlled marks, which simulate infinite illusionary environments. These environments are based on personal experiences, internal places, and translating sound into visual occurrences. I consider these works to be imaginary landscapes, occurrences, and atmospheres and objects that are both created out of expressionism, while conversely leaning more towards systematic formulation. My work is concerned with texture and perception as well as surface and color. Overriding themes in my work involve a flawed or fallen nature, over saturation,

urban decay, and meditations on transcendence.

As a record of collective experiences, the marks and movements are at once fueled by automatism, and intuitionism. My works serve as a living journal, and transcendental

artifacts. My range of materials grows with necessity, and accessibility.”

-R.S. 2014

Panoramic

Texas

Series

Bastrop fires, unrelenting skylines, sublime mentalities, conceptual collectiveness,

universal experiences, and intuitive automatism all play a role in Russell Stephen-

son’s new paintings titled, “Panoramic Texas Series”. A tribute to the Texas sky,

the flat plains of Midland/Odessa, the rolling Hill Country, and the wide open plains

to Pan-handle typography, Stephenson depicts all that is our great state of Texas in

minimally rendered but systematically charged abstracted landscapes.

-Gabriel Diego Delgado

Panoramic

Texas

Series

Russell Stephenson is one of the first

Contemporary Texas Painters to be

accessioned onto the J.R Mooney

roster of artists in the J.R. Mooney

Galleries of Fine Art Boerne. --

Stephenson brings a youthful energy,

a polished contemporary aesthetic

while maintaining roots in traditional

approach. His art captures a sense of

divine intervention, one that shapes

the world around us; the gold accents,

the earthy tones, and heavens and

the horizons- each combining to

conjure up a transcendent typography

that radiates perfection.

We are ultimately engulfed by the

subtleness that engulfs the gestalt of

the work and reflects the tranquility of

the world around us. -G.D.

I “In his Panoramic Texas Series we can meditate on the horizontal fixations that represent such

cosmic altruisms, rich with beauty but toned with hues variegated into a hazy manifestation.”

-G.D.

“In his Panoramic Texas Series we can meditate on the horizontal fixations that represent such

cosmic altruisms, rich with beauty but toned with hues variegated into a hazy manifestation.”

-G.D.

R

R

Russell Stephenson’s small scale abstract landscape paintings capture the

pure essence of his signature aesthetic. Gold, earth tones, and deliberate

mark-making mix with minimal compositions that are tied to notions of

the sublime.

T

T

“The majestic skylines of Texas radiate an un-explainable beauty – the kind that harkens to the tributary songs of stars at night and the

like in all its nostalgic inspirations.”

Whether you’re experiencing the charming and subtle horizons of Corpus Christi, the flat plains of Lubbock and Plainview or the rugged mountains of Big Bend to the rolling Hill Country there is something unmistakable in its atmospheric awesomeness; with its sun-rises and sunsets, its vast openness, or its terrifying and turbulent storms. Radiant browns and various tones of burnt sienna seem to meddle perfectly with con-trasting cool slate grays, snowy silvers and wispy whites. Atmospheric amalgamations of colors are ever approachable, digestible and delicate in their ephemeral and abstracted beauty.

K

“Kingdom Come”, 36” x 84” oil on wood panel

painting is an impactful tribute to personal

trying times. One of only a few this size,

“Kingdom Come” engulfs the viewer in a met-

aphoric wave of quasi- religious adumbrate.

Part landscape, part Lascaux cave painting,

part universal truth, “Kingdom Come” radi-

ates an energy similar to an unexplored nebu-

la, a faraway galaxy, or an exploding star;

while visually grounding the audiences’ expe-

rience in earth tones- bring the evolving mys-

tery closer to earth.

Ignoring the separation of the heavens from

the earth, light and dark, movement and stag-

nation, scars and healings all move, work and

play within the pictorial field; giving rise to a

language that all can understand. Conceived

out of suffering; born out of pain, and thrived

out of love.

© Gabriel Diego Delgado

JR Mooney Galleries

In “Mesa”, Stephenson delivers a medium size rectangle painting, one that is anchored by a distinguishable plateau that is concisely centered, mingled and engulfed by feathered heavens that glow with an inner radiance; something that can only achieved by some cosmic enlightenment. The top half of the painting is accented with marks or controlled chaos of the artist’s hand as he touches the panel in a series of deliberate gestures through pressure, contemplation and automatic subconscious responses.

© Gabriel Diego Delgado

“Salt was developed after looking through photographs of the Dead Sea. The color palette was again drawn directly from the region and is inspired by the vast resource of salt in the sea. Symbolically, Salt represents the Dead Sea, but also metaphorically Christ said that we, believers, are “the salt of the earth”, and are meant to preserve the faith.”

- Russell Stephenson

I

I ..It is in reference to ‘this’ teaching in abstract symbolism as the living word of Christ, and to refer to the beauty of

the region of the salt waters of the Dead Sea.”

-R.S.

M Mesa, Caprock, Llano Estacado, Bastrop,

Lubbock, Rockport and other locations with

distinctive horizon lines, giving us familiar

elements to enter the composition; familiarize

ourselves with the terrain and ingest the

beautiful quality of that specific topographical

location – mountains, coast, plains, etc.

With glazes, textures, and a mastered control of

pressure, Stephenson lays forth bountiful clouds

and atmospheres that dance across the Texas

skies ~ a pictorial grandeur to the majestic

skyline; visually reinforcing the “big and bright”

of the revered Texas tune. We begin to see the

role the firmament plays in relation to the lands

below; a relationship broken down into minimal

strata.

-Gabriel Diego Delgado

“Stephenson grounds us with bold, linear horizontal lines while breaking up the abstractions

with surprising wicks, flicks, and wisps that create active energies with a literal all over

composition; giving respect to the Abstract Expressionist call.” -G.D.