Countless artists have pictured the sea, none, however, like Stephen Wright. His hyper-realistic wave’s-eye-view paintings might make onlookers feel like they have water up their nose.
“I want the feeling of the excitement of being swept and thrashed around by something way bigger than us,” Wright explains in his artist statement.
Towards Shore, oil on canvas, 36 x 48"
Born in 1962, the Los Angeles native has spent a lifetime in and around water. Swimming lessons began when he was three, then his family moved into a house with a pool. “I spent all summer in the pool,” Wright remembers. “When I was a kid, I would pretend I couldn’t hear my parents by diving under the water.” His passion for it has yet to subside.
Today, Zuma Beach in Malibu, California, is his preferred aquatic hangout. Through June 7, Billis Williams Gallery in Los Angeles presents the gallery’s second solo exhibition of his waterscape oil paintings.
Peaks & Valleys, oil on canvas, 30 x 48"
Wright’s process, not surprisingly, begins in the water. He swims out into the ocean with a GoPro camera looking for particularly dramatic light conditions or waves. Upon returning home, he scours the video footage for singular frames which catch his eye. He’s looking for a combination of beauty and power—the ocean’s yin and yang. Unlike most artists who depict the water removed from it, Wright is neck deep. Observing his paintings is to put yourself right in the surf. Not as an observer—as a participant.
Waterscapes were a major departure for Wright who trained as a graphic designer and then worked for 15 years at a design studio before committing fully to figurative fine art painting. Wearying of the figure, he needed a change. It came in 2020.
“I’m just going to paint something beautiful that doesn’t intimidate me and that I enjoy,” Wright says of his thought process when considering the career transition. His vision caught the attention of Billis Williams Gallery which specializes in Southern California painters.
Alchemy, oil on canvas, 30 x 48"
Honoring his subject matter, the artist paints alla prima or wet-on-wet. The intention is not literal, but to allow his brushwork the spontaneity of the images he’s attempting to portray.
“I just start putting paint onto the canvas,” Wright says. “Especially with water because water is flowing—it’s always in motion...I’ll just start at one point and move to the next point, and the next and eventually you start to see the structure of what you’re painting.” Gradually, each point connects to another.
Little by little, the painting comes together. Like a Cézanne landscape, patches of paint join to form more complete sections, the sections link up and a picture reveals itself.
Big Foam, oil on canvas, 36 x 48"
“You look at it [and think], I need to unify that more. I’m going to emphasize this part, or throw out that part to make the overall composition work,” Wright says. “It’s kind of like jazz because there’s a lot of improvisation, but then you have to keep that improvisation in check as you’re doing it.” And keep your head above water. —
Billis Williams Gallery 2716 S. La Cienega Boulevard • Los Angeles, CA 90034 • (310) 838-3685 • www.billiswilliams.com
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