by Chanan Delivuk
Steven Pearson is a painter currently living and working in Westminster, Maryland, and teaches studio art courses at McDaniel College. Pearson’s latest body of work, Heroes and Villains, utilizes his knowledge of color theory and interest in comic book characterization and the constant change and bombardment of communication technology. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art. For more information (aside from that found in the interview below), visit his website.
Bluff: I see that you are in an upcoming exhibition at the Arlington Art Center for the Spring Solos. According to AAC’s website, you will be showing “large abstract paintings that employ elements from comic art.” In a not-so-artist-statement way, what exactly should viewers expect to see in the Smith Corridor gallery at AAC?
Stephen Pearson: Viewers can expect to see an explosion of color and shape that may at first seem a bit out of control, but after looking at the paintings though, they should see that there is a sense of balance through the use of comic panels to grid and organize the varied elements, as well as through careful use of color. While there will be a few recognizable comic elements, such as starbursts, speech bubbles, and motion lines, the real inspiration from comics comes from the color and the dynamic compositions.
Steven Pearson, Attempts to Contain are Futile, 2009.
Acrylic, Spray Paint, Paint Pen on Canvas.
This body of work is something that you have been developing, working on and transforming for quite some time. What has this process been like for you? How has the work progressed from initial works to more recent ones?
I started this series in the summer of 2007 kind of by accident. I was making wood panels for the paintings I was working on at the time that were a mixture of process and chance, and I saw in the woodgrain of the panels similar shapes that I was developing in the process paintings. So I thought I would see what I could get just by utilizing the woodgrain. I liked the initial results and decided to develop them further. After a couple of panels I noticed I kept placing Cadmium Red Light next to Liquitex Brilliant Blue, and I realized they reminded me of Superman’s colors, so that led me to look into the color palettes of heroes and their arch enemies. From there the process has been mostly deciding which heroes and villains to use, how do I arrive at non-objective compositions that convey the notion of struggle and crisis that are often found in Hero/Villain stories without being literal, and what are other areas of this hero/villain dichotomy that I could explore.
In your Heroes and Villains series from 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 there is a stark contrast in the paintings from the first set to the next. Though there are obvious elements still at play in the newer work (color palette!), you went from painting on wood grain back to canvas and paper. Why this change? What are some characteristics of each that you feel truly embody what you are thinking about within practice (especially those characteristics that perhaps carried over from the first body to the next)?
In the initial 2007-2008 series I strictly used the woodgrain to give me the compositions. I was afraid of being too literal in the beginning when I started using the Hero/villain palette, and was hoping to avoid drawing in shapes, forms, or characters that would too obviously embody the characteristics of Hero or Villain. The woodgrain let me focus primarily on Color. After awhile I did start to identify certain grain patterns with the “Hero” character, and certain patterns with villains, but I thought overall that was rather innocuous. Near the end of the woodgrain series I started combining multiple panels into larger compositions to vary the direction and type of grain, and this led me to creating symmetrical panels. That compositional device is another thing that has carried over into the newer series. I felt symmetry really played into the duality conflict of the hero/villain. There are often similarities in the characters of the arch enemies, but some little difference in there character leads one to aid the side of good, and one to pursue a more nefarious career path. Using symmetry with the wood panels was perfect for this, since the panel shapes were exact, but the grain inside them was always different. It was an imperfect symmetry. But after doing a few more of those I started thinking that the woodgrain had done its’ purpose, and could start to look like a crutch or look repetitive. I felt it was time to start introducing my own shapes, my own drawing back into my paintings. What I learned about color and composition through the woodgrain series was priceless though. Not only did I realize symmetry could be a handy compositional device to play with the dichotomy of the hero/villain, or good/evil, i noticed that in the woodgrain in the panels, there was something happening in every inch of every panel. This has made me try to pack my compositions with as many elements as possible. To build dense, layered spaces that attempt to show the complexity of the world we observe daily.
Steven Pearson, Too Good, Too Evil, 2008.
Acrylic on Panel.
Steven Pearson, Not Quite Equal, but Definitely Opposite, 2009.
Acrylic, Spray Paint, Collage, Paint Pen on Canvas and Paper.
I noticed that at the Vermont Studio Center you were working with some found materials there for your Daily Paintings for January, 2010 . Did you have a different project in mind that got swapped for the Daily Paintings after you came across the manila file separators, or were you praying for something to pop up in the space to serve as inspiration?
I actually found the Manila folders when cleaning out one of the studios at McDaniel College right before I left for Vermont. I thought they were too good to just toss and decided to bring them with me to see what I could do with them. I give a “Daily Chronicles” project to my Advanced Studio students every semester, where they have to Do something daily that relates to their work, but only takes 5 minutes to one hour. So when I got to VSC, got my studio set up, I thought I would give myself a Daily project. It was a way of just getting started on the first day without the fear and anxiety of producing something special. The hope was that the simple things I may do in the dailies would somehow inform the bigger painting, and future paintings, and I think they did. I found myself bring things from the daily’s in to the bigger work, whether it was a simple process I had used, or a shape. I also think they helped me loosen up a little in the beginning of the big painting. After the first week, the big painting felt very stiff, and was really getting me anxious. I looked at the daily’s and realized how loose and fun those were. A few minutes later I had my big painting on the floor and was pouring and smearing paint all over it. From there I found shapes and colors to focus on and accentuate, and I started outlining brushstrokes and drips. All things that I had been doing in the Daily’s. And for an added bonus, the daily’s tuned out to be good paintings in and of themselves. Always a nice surprise.
Steven Pearson, January 11, 2010, 2010.
Acrylic, paint pen, and graphite.
When you are not teaching, being a dad to a toddler, or in your studio, what are you doing?
Wait. You mean there is time for other things outside of that? I’m kind of a nerd. I love going to museums and galleries, and I like to order UFC events. I used to work out and mountain bike alot, but that has really taken a back seat to everything else that I need to do. Maybe when this show is up I will venture back to the gym, or jump on my bike.
Your favorite musician dedicated his/her album to your work. Who is the musician, what is the album, and why?
I’d guess I’d have to say the Beastie Boys, and possibly “Check Your Head”. I like the frantic pace of most of their rhymes, it seems to match the color and composition of my paintings. I also like that many of their lines lead to lines without seemingly sensible connections, like non-sequiturs, and I like that kind of twist that keeps you listening and questioning.
Enough torture time-taking from you, your teaching, your painting and your parenting. Last question, what is your favorite color?
I would have to say red. It seems to re-occur in all of my paintings, even back to my graduate school paintings.