STEPHEN AIKEN, USA
Stephen Aiken is an artist whose recent work was conceived in Merida, Yucatan, where he has been a temporary resident since 2013. He credits his artistic formation to his study of photography in New York City in 1974. He then transitioned to painting in the late 1970’s. His works created in Merida use multiple modes of expression both abstract and figurative. He describes his painting as a “fusion of historical influences”- the result of a lifetime of immersion in his practice.
In his current artworks, Stephen depicts landscapes, simplified almost to abstraction while incorporating figurative forms such as palm trees, leaves, flowers or other images that evoke the natural world of Yucatan. The result is a series of landscapes in which vivid colors mingle with forms. Stephen uses the repetition of patterns – minimalist and geometric shapes – to create compositions that also suggest movement. He paints on canvas and paper using oils, acrylics, collages, and various mixed media.
Click to learn about Aiken’s recently published book: Artists in Residence: Downtown New York in the 1970s
“I like working under time constraints and creating experimental art with gouache and paper. The process is intuitive”, he says. Stephen described his creative process for the individual exhibition that was presented in January 2019 at El Zapote Gallery: “I’ve been an artist for over forty years. When I appreciate last month’s pieces I feel happy that things are being developed. I keep going forward because work promotes more work and new ways to advance”.
Stephen has also created photographic and other projects that support contemporary art for Art News magazine, Art in New England magazine, Provincetown Arts magazine, as well as for diverse newsletters in France and Germany. He has worked as a curator for The Seaport District Cultural Association Gallery in New York City.
“Banderas”.
Banderas is the name of this body of abstract, figurative art. It invites people to a visual game, because there is no political or ideological statement intended.. It’s about figures on shapes that you will realize are not flags. It’s contemporary art and design.
Color is primary in Stephen Aiken’s work. “It motivates my intent; it’s an amazing substance that has intrigued me for 50 years! The process of perpetually renewing my relationship to color is never boring; it’s always fulfilling.”
The interaction of figurative and abstract images is always in the artist’s work, for in his creative process he plays with patterns and silhouettes that come in a spontaneous way, letting the viewer’s mind decipher and interpret. In this dialogue between what the mind
already knows and the act of actually seeing, color defies and challenges us to see, experience, and think in new ways…
When you seek artwork to purchase online, you’ll find a wider variety of creations than you find in person. In addition to easy access to works from outside your region, you can browse and purchase more easily and faster from any device.