Maryirene Stevens
Art Maker & Painter
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Artist Statement
As a native New Mexican, it is natural that the colors and shapes of the New Mexican landscape should become an integral part of my work. I have recently moved back to Santa Fe, and am lucky to be living among adobe walls and latillas, Mexican tiles, cobblestone streets, Navajo and Asian rugs. All of these patterns and textures find their way into my work.
Creating art in some way or another has always been an essential part of my life. Along with paint, I have explored a variety of media in my quest to find the one that works best for me. After years of exploration in other media, I knew that my passion is painting.
After many years as a stained glass artist and craftsman, I attended California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland and San Francisco where I graduated with a BFA in painting and drawing.
The beauty of the landscape served as my inspiration when I began painting. As my study of art progressed, I found a new vocabulary in abstract art. By synthesizing the colors and shapes derived from the landscape I have been able to expand how to express myself artistically. In some paintings I use subtle differences in color and shape and texture; in others I use very marked differences. As I continue to paint, my work continues to evolve.
In the last couple of years I have been exploring watercolor and have found that I like the immediacy of paint that dries almost instantly, and I am enjoying tramping around the countryside finding new ways to look at my surroundings.
But it does not mean that I have abandoned my love of abstract or non-objective painting. By synthesizing the colors and shapes derived from the landscape, I have found new ways of expressing myself artistically.
My study and practice of the art and craft of stained glass made a huge impact in my study of abstraction. In making patterns for stained glass windows, one breaks down the elements of an image into a series of abstract shapes. Calling on the pattern-making techniques I learned while making stained glass art I break down images of objects and landscapes into shapes and colors, but now I do it with paint.