Abstract Works
March
Jessica Stepushyn
Canada
Painting
Size: 16 H x 14.5 W x 1.2 in
I had been preparing for a timed painting competition and I literally painted myself dry, so this is my "recovery" piece. I tend to have a color theme in my pieces that are a bit too heavy in blues, so I tried doing a piece without using blue, and this is the result. I don't care much for art work that has muddy colors, but in this piece it works perfectly. It reminds me a lot of a piece I did in art college about war, but no one wants to hang war on their wall. Besides. All of my friends see something slightly different, so it still works as a non-representative piece.
Best
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 6 H x 6 W x 1 in
I'd been though a painting dry-spell when I painted this tiny piece. Let's be honest, there's no excuse for not painting. I'd like to tell myself that it's because I'm too busy writing fiction, or priming canvases, or having a fucking head cold. The point is that there is no excuse for making art. Except maybe that my studio gets up past 37C and ALL my paints dry nearly instantly. God I need air conditioning.
Barge Right In
Jessica Stepushyn
2016
Multi-panel Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 3 H x 3 W x 1.5 in
I was browsing the works of this digital artist who worked primarily in color studies and geometric work, and I was inspired to work on something similar. Since a regular pattern would seem to "matchy matchy", I went with something less regular. In honesty, I feel I was more successful than him in the use of shapes, and that sometimes it's better to ditch the perfectionism and go for the irregular.
Dry Cough
Jessica Stepushyn
2007
Painting Oil on Canvas
Owned by private collector
You may notice that drips are something of a unifying theme in my expressive abstract works, and this was the original piece that really experiment with it. I think I ended up doing over a dozen layers, and as they layered up wet layers would brush off and exposed the layers beneath it. I still use that "drip exposure" meathod today.
I remember getting down and dirty with it, and having large puddles of paint at my feet while I painted. If only I had a studio where I could wreck the floor, I'd make hundreds of these.
Worshipers of the Orange Temple
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 8 H x 10 W x 1.4 in
So my friend Jake Moylen, a stupidly gifted Irish poet, was pissed on St. Paddy's day and he gave me the most brilliant reading of an unpublished poem. I'm not one to get all lovey-dubby over literary works, but something about the way his voice caught when annunciating his words hit me right in the imagination. Anyways I closed my eyes listening to it and saw this. I don't know if he was even talking about a fire worshiping occult scene, but too bad.
Black Lotus
Jessica Stepushyn
2016
Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 10 H x 10 W x 1.4 in
After my success with "Barge Right In" I created a this piece. I was enjoying experimenting with different angles, and found that I could combine neighboring shapes into larger areas made for a more interesting painting. Looking at my work now, I am noticing a trend of blue in the year of 2016, and this work is no exception. I have no memories from the autumn and winter of 2016, so I cannot speak to my motivations - other than the fact that I had ten surgical treatments at around the time. I remember those seasons being very dark, like if it was eternal night. I imagine my dark mood reflected heavily in my work.
Dark Gem
Jessica Stepushyn
2016
Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 10 H x 10 W x 1.4 in
This piece was created at the same time of amnesia as the design above, but I do remember something about this piece. As I looked at the successes of the above picture, I ended up deciding to paint a diamond in the same style. It was something of a proof to myself that I had figured out the design aspect of this style, so I could try new colors.
Behemoth
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 68 H x 56 W x 2.5 in
Behemoth is the result of a months long project and is my largest piece to date. I've been continuing my work with transparencies, and comparing the effects of paint on gesso versus the appearance of paint on clear medium. The colors are a gentle mix of three different paints that all subtly take over their own space, building what I call "communities of color" on the painting. My goal for this painting was to create a different image for each different viewer, depending on their personality and mood. It was designed to capture the viewer with it's intensity, and invite them to draw on their own imagination within the paint.
Colorful Honeycomb
Jessica Stepushyn
2016
Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 10 H x 10 W x 1.4 in
Here's another color study of an inspiring digital artist's work. It was at this time I realized he was likely blind, so I went looking for more effects that it might have, and came up with the idea of compound eyes. I really enjoyed the way the piece worked whichever way I hung it, and I recreated this effect in a lot of paintings in the years later.
Anesthetic
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Painting Acrylic on canvas
Size: 10 H x 8 W x 1.5 in
Painting: Acrylic on Canvas.
This is a deeply personal piece about a very difficult time in my life, but I've decided to share the story despite what some people may think. That being said, every serious piece deserves a little humour, so this description is suitably unsuitable. Okay, so in 2016 I had nine sessions of Electro-Convulsive Therapy for my depression, which was electrifying. I think. I can't really remember. But what I do remember was the pissy anesthesiologist who was mad that I'd remind him to give me Torodol so my forehead didn't feel like Rice Krispies when I woke up. Anyways, I do remember the anesthetic coming on and it sounded like everything was increasing in pitch, and everything kinda turned white.
Liquid Planet
Jessica Stepushyn
2016
Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 10 H x 10 W x 1.4 in
I have this copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with the most stunning cover I have ever seen on a book. The artist, Mari Katogi, had a way of painting water that I had never seen before. Her brush strokes were short and thick with high viscosity paint. I was smitten, so I tried to recreate them.
Sun Walkers
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 33.5 H x 33.5 W x 2 in
I have this love affair with raw canvas, and I don't think enough artists truly explore the intimacy and complexity of the surfaces they paint on. Artists buy white pre-primed canvas in the stores if they want to paint. I buy and build my own canvases because I want to know every inch of that painting like the body of a naked lover. I mean that literally. There is something intensely pleasing to run your fingers over a freshly stretched canvas, and hit it like a drum for the first time. Why cover that beauty up?
Please note, this piece was meant to be shown in either direction, hence the multiple images.
Run the Temple
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Painting
Size: 10 H x 10 W x 1.4 in
So this painting just kinda happened. Not like "I tripped and he fell", but like "I didn't want to have a child and now I'm not happy, but I'm not sad it happened." It's not a disappointment, like my life, but I guess it was born out of a need to control shit I can't, and that in itself is disappointing. I digress. It's kinda playful. My dad thinks it's a volcano. He's a cool guy.
Please note, this piece was meant to be shown in either direction, hence the multiple images.
Consider
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 16 H x 16 W x 1.5 in
I'd like to write a romantic description about how I was inspired by raindrops, or nature, but the reality is less interesting. I went to do an under-painting and I realized that what I had on my canvas was significantly more interesting than anything I could put on top. This was the original of my expressive pieces, and it remains my favorite. The texture of the stiff paint bristles really shakes my tail.
Please note, this piece was meant to be shown in either direction, hence the multiple images.
