Stephen Anderson is an accomplished, self-taught portraitist who has perfected and adapted his technique over twenty years. He creates allegorical paintings revealing a splendid imagination and innocent admiration of women. The artist employs a hyper use of color through a combination of textures, glazing, and Prismacolor® detailing giving each work a brilliant liveliness. His fervent interest in classic films has resulted in a DVD collection of over 2,300 titles. These films have undoubtedly influenced his art as their actresses have served as models for his portrait studies.
Artist's Statement: I seek to create an idealized and idiosyncratic reality, to portray beauty, mystery, and sometimes fancifulness in stylized portraiture, scenes and scapes, to capture the romance of times past and places remote, and to communicate concepts and moods through visual symbols and archetypal, iconic images.
Museum Collections: Smithsonian Art Gallery, Washington, DC; Museum of American Folk Art, New York, NY; Roger Brown Study Collection, Art Institute of Chicago, IL; Milwaukee Art Museum, WI; Rockford Art Museum, IL; Freeport Art Center, IL
FACES OF THE FOREST, Acrylic and Prismacolor on Board, 22 x 28"
ALICIA, Acrylic on Museum Board, 12 x 8"
IT GROWS ON TREES, Acrylic and Prismacolor on Museum Board, 20 x 30"
MIMSY, Acrylic on Museum Board, 12 x 8"
THE SEASIDE TRIO, Acrylic and Prismacolor on Museum Board, 20 x 24"
ATTACK OF THE GIANT OCTOPI, Acrylic and Prismacolor on Museum Board, 10 x 12"
WILMETTA, Acrylic on Museum Board, 12 x 8"
FAIRIES COMMUNE WITH NATURE, Acrylic and Prismacolor on Museum Board, 22 x 28"