Art & Life with Stephen Remick

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Remick.

Stephen, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in Vermont and now live in Dartmouth, a small town on the south coast of Massachusetts. At first, I chose to study architecture and received an Associate Degree in it from Vermont Technical College. After working for a year in that field, I decided it wasn’t for me. I wanted to be more immersed in the arts. Being a graphic designer, as opposed to being a painter, would get me closer to that, plus, I thought there were actual jobs in that field. Half way through my studies at Swain School of Design in New Bedford, MA (a now defunct small, private art school), I switched majors and received a BFA in Painting. My girlfriend then, Anne Carrozza, who was a Painting major and is now my wife, just might have helped me make that decision a little easier. Together, we raised two kids while I ran a small house painting business in Dartmouth, MA. The older I get, the more art and art sales I’ve been making, with the goal to get out of the house painting business and survive on art alone.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Short answer – I’m painting the backyard and beyond. I’m mostly a landscape painter. I’ve painted it abstractly and through representation, in large format and small. I appreciate pretty much all genres of art. After a year’s long series of abstract color-field paintings, I needed a self-imposed restart. I’m attracted to items built or left by others that weren’t intended to be objects to contemplate. This led to a series inspired by the Robert Frost poem ‘Mending Wall’ where I painted old stone walls in the middle of the woods, now not walling anything in or out. Then, branching off to abandoned cellar holes and cemeteries, woodpiles, surveyor’s ribbon, backyard projects, and so on. In searching for subjects, I found that snow-cover unified and distilled. Snow naturally enhanced what I was after in an image. This led to simply painting the abstract beauty of sunlight and shadow on snow, yet rendering it in a representational image. This opened up new paths, including painting paths with the metaphors they evoke. Highlighting these motifs guides the viewer to think deeply, to realize our connection to each other, our environment, our past, and our future.

I now feel like a split personality artist exploring paths down differing genres and weaving those paths together now and again. On top of that, I’ve rediscovered plein-air painting after decades of procrastination. (Highly recommended for you painters out there.) Don’t be afraid to fail!

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Paint or sketch or sculpt from life when you can, even if it’s not your thing. Don’t think that every piece you make needs to be a finished work of art. Don’t be afraid to fail.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I’m part of a couple of very supportive local artist groups, Gallery X in New Bedford, MA (an artist co-op that’s been around for over 26 years), and South Coast Artists (SCA) which includes artists from Tiverton and Little Compton in Rhode Island, and Westport and Dartmouth in Massachusetts. SCA holds two self-guided open studio tours each summer. This summer’s last tour will be August 18 and 19, 11am-5pm with over 60 artists opening their studios. I’ll be at 1167 Russells Mills Rd, Dartmouth, MA 02748. www.southcoastartists.org This October, I’ll be in a small group show at Gallery at Four in Tiverton Four Corners, Tiverton, RI. I also show online through SaatchiArt.com and Chairish.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stephenremick.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/stephenremickart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephen.remick.art
• Twitter: ww.twitter.com/saremick
• Other: www.chairish.com/shop/stephenremick www.saatchiart.com/stephenremick

Image Credit:
Stephen Remick

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