Stanley Lewis, View from the Porch, East Side of House , 2003-2006, Acrylic on canvas 38 3/4” x 48”
Yesterday I posted drawings by Stanley Lewis. Lewis was one of the influences listed by Charity Baker at the New York Studio School. Looking through Lewis’ art and writing, I found an interview on Painting Perceptions that talked about his methods, and his influences:
“[Painting from perception] often feels like a horribly impossible thing to do but you somehow do it anyway.” – Stanley Lewis on Painting Perceptions
Lewis says that one way to paint what you see accurately is to figure out the proportions and use a frame. The rectangle of the frame helps to determine the relationship where the verticals and horizontals intersect. Then you work to unify and relate the pieces spatially to each other.
View from Barn Window , 2008, Oil on canvas 14” x 14”View from the Barn Window (Detail) 2011,Oil on canvas 16” x 23 1/4”
Honestly, if I hadn’t taken Jonathan Harkham’s class I would think Lewis is talking about the standard struggle to paint as I knew it, the way I learned it in school, but these guys are using the language in a different way, their paintings have something special in them. They’re doing a different thing. It’s complicated and exciting … and I’m starting to get it.
Stanley Lewis, Still Life with Photograph of Karen, late 1970s, oil on masonite 48″ x 54¾”
“It can get very complicated; it’s difficult to explain. When you try to get everything working like this you realize that it actually can’t be done. How do you find a consistent stabilizing position? That’s what I’m interested in and that’s what I’ve been trying to do for my whole life.” – Lewis
Stanley Lewis, Corner of Connecticut Ave. and Calvert St. , 2002, acrylic on paper, 40″ x 45½”
Wilbur Niewald
Lewis worked with Niewald at Kansas City Art Institute for 17 years, and says that Wilbur Niewald, now approaching 95 years old, had a huge influence on his style, and carries the key to perceptual painting in America.
“You have got to find out about his paintings (…) Wilbur is an interpreter of Cézanne and Mondrian.” – Lewis
Following his advice, I looked up Wilbur Niewald. More in the next post.
Yesterday I posted Fran O’Neill’s studies from unidentified masterworks. In no time at all you savvy people identified three out of four. Nice work! Piero Della Francesca, Battle Between Heraclius and Chosroes Nicolas Poussin, The Abduction of the Sabine Women Diego Velázquez, The Spinners Las Hilanderas, translated to “The Spinners,” is a painting by the …
A few days ago I posted the Portrait Awards for 2022. 13 artists won prizes and recognition for their artworks , but there were a few more artworks that I wanted to share. Sometimes it’s good to have an art buddy, someone you can go to museums with, someone who can critique your work and …
If you have taken or taught a class at the Seattle Artist League in the last year, you are invited to submit up to three artworks to our online show. We can’t promise we’ll show every piece, but we will show at least one artwork per person. This show is about you as an artist, so you …
Teaching an online class with the League this fall: Jonathan Harkham. Jonathan is another professional artist/instructor we found at the New York Studio School where he is an alumni and instructor. Currently under quarantine in his LA studio, Jonathan has shifted his attention from painting friends and live models to painting a series of 80’s …
Stanley Lewis talks about his mentor
Yesterday I posted drawings by Stanley Lewis. Lewis was one of the influences listed by Charity Baker at the New York Studio School. Looking through Lewis’ art and writing, I found an interview on Painting Perceptions that talked about his methods, and his influences:
“[Painting from perception] often feels like a horribly impossible thing to do but you somehow do it anyway.” – Stanley Lewis on Painting Perceptions
Lewis says that one way to paint what you see accurately is to figure out the proportions and use a frame. The rectangle of the frame helps to determine the relationship where the verticals and horizontals intersect. Then you work to unify and relate the pieces spatially to each other.
Honestly, if I hadn’t taken Jonathan Harkham’s class I would think Lewis is talking about the standard struggle to paint as I knew it, the way I learned it in school, but these guys are using the language in a different way, their paintings have something special in them. They’re doing a different thing. It’s complicated and exciting … and I’m starting to get it.
“It can get very complicated; it’s difficult to explain. When you try to get everything working like this you realize that it actually can’t be done. How do you find a consistent stabilizing position? That’s what I’m interested in and that’s what I’ve been trying to do for my whole life.” – Lewis
Lewis worked with Niewald at Kansas City Art Institute for 17 years, and says that Wilbur Niewald, now approaching 95 years old, had a huge influence on his style, and carries the key to perceptual painting in America.
“You have got to find out about his paintings (…) Wilbur is an interpreter of Cézanne and Mondrian.” – Lewis
Following his advice, I looked up Wilbur Niewald. More in the next post.
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Yesterday I posted Fran O’Neill’s studies from unidentified masterworks. In no time at all you savvy people identified three out of four. Nice work! Piero Della Francesca, Battle Between Heraclius and Chosroes Nicolas Poussin, The Abduction of the Sabine Women Diego Velázquez, The Spinners Las Hilanderas, translated to “The Spinners,” is a painting by the …
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A few days ago I posted the Portrait Awards for 2022. 13 artists won prizes and recognition for their artworks , but there were a few more artworks that I wanted to share. Sometimes it’s good to have an art buddy, someone you can go to museums with, someone who can critique your work and …
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If you have taken or taught a class at the Seattle Artist League in the last year, you are invited to submit up to three artworks to our online show. We can’t promise we’ll show every piece, but we will show at least one artwork per person. This show is about you as an artist, so you …
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Teaching an online class with the League this fall: Jonathan Harkham. Jonathan is another professional artist/instructor we found at the New York Studio School where he is an alumni and instructor. Currently under quarantine in his LA studio, Jonathan has shifted his attention from painting friends and live models to painting a series of 80’s …