Representational Works
Goodness Me, What is that Peculiarly Shaped Cloud?
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Multimedia on masonite
Size: 9 H x 9 W x 1.5 in
This was a proof of concept for a future series I want to do. It's painted on masonite that's been cut and glued together so it makes a gentle three dimensional shape. The background is neutral as to better exhibit the bright colors of the collage. The collage itself is three different sizes, misaligned to confuse the eye, and create a sense of anxiety. Over the top are think clumps of bright paint. Sadly the purple did not translate well in the photo, but it is quite vivid. I'm looking forward to making more of these.
This Instagram video does the best to illustrate the effect of the shape
Smoke
Jessica Stepushyn
Canada
Painting
Size: 20 H x 16 W x 1.5 in
I spent two weeks with a poet from Ireland, living and working from my apartment studio. In the evenings of stressful days we'd retreat to the back of the parking lot where he'd smoke cigarettes while I stood away from his foul smelling habit. It became a ritual. And when I got sick from mono he'd sit there alone, smoking away his anxiety, while I stayed indoors. When I miss him, I look out over my parking lot to that awful pink bench, and think what a refuge it was; nestled between pavement and overhanging evergreens.
Walk Through the Forest
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Paper cut
Size: 11 H x 8.5W in
This is a piece that I designed for the 2018 Land Trust Alliance of British Columbia Art and Photography Exhibit. It's supposed to contain a depiction of British Columbia's greatest natural beauty. This particular trail was one that I walked down with Jacob Moylan during our collaborative project. It was just outside of Uculete, and the mossy wooden path was barely visible through the thick forest growth. As we walked we could hear the sounds of the distant surf, and the birds chirping in the trees. Se stopped our adventure when we reached a thick bog, and had to turn back because of my shoes, but I enjoyed every moment of it.
Portrait of a Lady
Jessica Stepushyn
2016
Acrylic on canvas
Size: 24 H x 18 W x 1.5 in
This fine lady is a model who works primarily as a reference model on Deviant Art. I decided that I wanted to paint her with a looser feeling, because she destined to be a portrait study. It's half sad that her hair was so perfect in the reference photo, because I'd loved to have painted someone with more chaos in their hair. Perhaps next time.
Funny story. I remember posting the image on my facebook, and my friend called me 5 minutes later begging me to introduce him to her. I laughed and pointed him to her website. Sadly no romantic relationship started from that introduction, but she now has one more fan.
Lady with Wine
Jessica Stepushyn
2007
Oil on canvas
This piece was inspired by the most stunning plus-sized model I've ever seen, and the works of Tamara de Lempicka. My painting teacher, a short senior Filipino fellow, liked to walk past this piece, shake his head at it, and say "I painted something like this a decade ago!" He'd then point at parts of the painting and tell me what was different, but in the end he'd toss his hands in the air and exclaim how it was the same.
The colors looks stunning in the owners kitchen.
On Tofino Beach
Jessica Stepushyn
2006
Acrylic on canvas Board
Size: 11 H x 14 W
This was one of my first pieces in art school, and I was so excited to start producing high realism art. I had picked a photo from Tofino, one of my favorite places in the world. Funny thing is that people travel there to see the storms and feel the raw might of the Pacific.
Tide Going Out
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Acrylic on canvas Board
Size: 11 H x 14 W
This piece is of the same beach as above, Long Beach at Tofino. For this painting I was painting plein air, with my feet bear to the fierce wind around me. I set up far away from the water, sitting on the wet sand. Even though it was sunny, and the colors of the ocean were more brilliant that I'd even seen them, it was still cold. I didn't have the luxury of a photo, but I didn't want one. Being there, and capturing the painting from the source was all the references I needed.
Mom & Dad
Jessica Stepushyn
2010
Acrylic on canvas
Size: 16 H x 12 W x 1.5in
I really enjoyed creating this piece. Previously I had forced myself to create high realism paintings, but the use of bold color and wide brush strokes was really liberating. Of all my portraiture, I feel this is the best choice in style for me going onward.
This painting holds another deeply personal story for myself. In 2010 I lost my mother and my home within a month, and I found myself living with my father again. We lived together better at that time than any other time, and to show my appreciation I presented my father with this painting. Of all the photos of my family, spanning decades, this was the only candid moment of the two - surprised by a camera while dancing at my sisters wedding. It hangs in my living room now.
Self Portrait
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Acrylic on canvas board
Size: 6 H x 4 W
This was going to start as a gift for a friend I'd never met in real life, but then I thought about it for a while and reconsidered. You know what the creepiest gift you could receive on the planet is? A hand painted, unsmiling, uninvited self portrait from a woman who likes to make jokes about being a serial killer.
Crow
Jessica Stepushyn
2010
Multimedia on Canvas
Sold
I purchased an amazing book on graffiti art called "Graffiti Women", and I was instantly hooked on the extreme colors, and simplified style of street art. This was the first painting I did without priming my canvas before, choosing to leave the fabric raw much like a street artist leaves the wall bare.
Virgin on the Rocks
Jessica Stepushyn
2002
Oil on Canvas
Leonardo da Vinci study
This painting holds a special place in my heart, because it was my first ever oil painting portrait that I did at 16. I spent about a dozen hours on it, and because I wasn't hugely proficient with brushes, I ended up doing the majority of it with my fingertips. Thanks to my instructor I learned how to do gridding for portraits, a system I still use today.
Virgin on the Rocks
Jessica Stepushyn
2018
Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 11 H x 8 W
This was done for Opus's 2018 plein air competition. I had attended the year before, and made the mistake of wearing sunglasses. Imagine my horror when I got back to the competition area to see that my painting was an nauseating assortment of bright colors. So this year I mixed a healthy amount of greys into my work.
I was lucky enough to receive a prize at the end.
