"Mission Reach" by Texas Painter Russell Stephenson

See more of Russell Stephenson's artwork on our website at:

http://www.jrmooneygalleries.com/index.php?route=product/manufacturer/product&manufacturer_id=763

 

 

Russell Stephenson was born in Abilene, TX in 1973. He has lived most of his life in West and Southwest Texas, and has been inherently influenced by the rugged landscape, and shallow color palette Texas offers.

Vacations and road trips led him to the High Deserts and Rocky Mountains of New Mexico and Colorado which influenced his capacity for grand themes and monumental subject matter.

Soon after public schools, he received a full tuition scholarship to the art Institute of Seattle in Washington where he studied visual communications. He left school to pursue his own interests in painting and drawing only to return to school at The Pacific NW College of Art in Portland, OR. There he concentrated his studies in sculpture and graduated with his BFA in 2001.

After his undergraduate studies he returned to Texas and attended Graduate school at The University of Texas in San Antonio. Russell graduated in 2006 with an MFA in Printmaking. Russell has been an active participant in the San Antonio art scene ever since, showing and teaching in the community.

Sunrise on the Guadalupe by Mark Keathley

Sunrise on the Guadalupe is an amazing tribute to the grandeur and beauty of Texas’ landscape.

Sunrise on the Guadalupe is a wonderful example of Mark Keathley’s talent. His use of color and rhythm lead us exactly where he wants us to go and yet makes us feel autonomous in the process.

At first glance, a patch of sunlight dancing on a group of rocks off to the right, takes your eyes immediately to the center of the painting.  Nothing about this piece is hurried or in a rush.  Your gaze wants to linger there for a moment as you watch the water playfully drop over a slight ledge. 

Keathley has not just captured a splendid view, but an emotion-- that feeling of rubbing the sleep out of your eyes early on a Sunday to the sound of birds singing their morning song and stepping out of the tent to the smell of fresh coffee brewing over a campfire.  In the hustle and bustle of today’s world where a blackberry is no longer something you pick off a bush; Mark Keathley reminds us what is truly important.

The organic rhythm of the repeating ripples has the viewer drifting along with the water straight down and to the left of the painting as the Guadalupe laps at the bank like a thirsty kitten with milk. The oranges, pinks, and purples in the water are a mere reflection of the sky it admires.  Keathley has expertly drawn our eyes back to the top of the painting to appreciate the beauty of daybreak. 

 “I’m attracted to light and beautiful colors”, he says.  “I get real excited over shapes.  It’s crazy the things that attract my attention, but I believe that God wants to express himself through me.  I think His creativity is a part of who I am and I cannot wait to put it on canvas because I want it to bless you.  I hope it brings you a sense of peace and rest and gets you in touch with what life is all about.”

Sunrise on the Guadalupe is located at the JR Mooney Galleries Broadway location. Look for new selections of his work at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in the “Night of the Artist” invitational exhibition.

© Valarie Lanelle McCown

Art Consultant

JR Mooney Galleries