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Stevenson Giclee Fine Art Prints
"Seasons" by Charles Stevenson
casein and oil on canvas, 36" x 48"
private collection (Germany)
In the 1997 while Charles and I were still working together, we chose a series of paintings to make fine art giclee prints from. Our goal was simple: To make the finest state of the art prints possible.
The paintings were professionally photographed as 4 x 5 and 8 x 10 transparencies, scanned in very high resolution, then we spent several days "cleaning up" the images in Photoshop. When we got the first artists' proofs back from the printers, Old Town Editions we were overjoyed with the quality, richness and incredible detail.
Now, after 12 years, Charles has passed away from making our lives wonderful, but giclee prints are still available through Charles Stevenson's website, williamzacha.com. They can be printed on fine art watercolor paper or on giclee artists' canvas in a variety of sizes. They can't of course be signed by Charles, as they are printed fresh and on demand, but every print will be personally proofed by Matt Leach to the original Stevenson / Leach proofs, and can be signed on request by "Matt Leach of Stevenson / Leach Studio".
The gallery currently has four very large prints in stock (35" x 47", one each of the images depicted here. They are printed in archival inks on archival Somerset Velvet watercolor paper. We would like to offer more giclee prints in the future, in sizes ranging from full sheets (35" x 47") to half sheet and quarter sheet sizes.
"Mendocino Afterglow" by Charles Stevenson and Matt Leach
acrylic on three panel screen, 104" x 80", 1990
private collection
Mendocino Afterglow was Charles and my first collaborative artwork in 1990 after after working together on a number of stage sets for The Gloriana Opera Company. I first had the idea of painting this large three panel screen, saying to Charles that the view of our little town from across Mendocino Bay is so beautiful; why don't we do a large "architectural" painting of the view, as if the viewer is looking out a window, so we can share the view with others?
Charles liked the idea, so we acquired three hollow core doors for the base-panels, coated them in cheesecloth and gesso, took many photographs for reference, laid out the lines of the "window frames", masked off the areas that were not part of the "view", chose a color scheme, and started painting together.
Once the view through the windows was completed, we masked off the windows and stripped off the masking on the foreground "interior. It was Charles idea to paint the foreground with a contrasting image of the same view, scaled down, in the evening light.
When that was done, we striped off all the masking and added finishing final touches such as the thin lines of sunset light around the window frames. Finally we protected the surface with a clear coat and I added a simple oiled pine frame and brass hinges to link the panels.
In 1995, "Mendocino Afterglow" won first place in "The Artists' Magazine" international landscape competition.
"Full Moon" by Charles Stevenson
acrylic on canvas, 36" x 48"
private collection
"Backstage" by Charles Stevenson
acrylic on canvas, 48" x 36"
private collection
Charles Stevenson: The Art of the Portrait
by Matt Leach
Charles sometimes began with an idea of an image, but not always. The process often began with a photo session, sometimes involving costumes, but sometimes with just the subject's streetr clothes. During the photo
sessions, new ideas often evolved from the initial ideas.
Afterward Charles sorted and studied the photos (35 mm slides) to see which pictures inspired him the most. As he did this, he also thought in terms of the multiple layers of images that he was famous for.
Charles would start with the main, strongest image in the composition, and then slowly build the layers. It's amazing the effects Charles achieved painting with this technique. Some of the paintings look almost "Photoshopped", with their multiple semi-transparent overlays, but back in the 1960s, 70s and 80s Charles painted the old fashioned way: with a brush.
Even after Charles started using computers in the 1990s, he only used them as another tool. The real compositions were still done on the canvas.
Here are a few of Charles Stevenson's portraits.
Charles Stevenson Self Portrait
acrylic and oil on canvas, 36" x 36", 1960
private collection
Portrait of Thorkild Thompson
acrylic and oil on canvas, 36" x 36", 1967
private collection
One of my personal favorite portraits by Charles, showing the local sheep ranchers' gentleness with the lamb, with the town of Mendocino in the background.
Portrait of Dorr Bothwell
acrylic and oil on canvas, approximately 48" x 30", 1964
private collection
Dear Dorr was the only person living in Mendocino Charles knew when he
moved there and, even then, they had only recently met. But Dorr told Charles about Mendocino, so he packed what little he had in his old station wagon, and moved to Mendocino. The night that Charles arrived, Dorr introduced him to Bill and Jenny Zacha, who were just starting the Mendocino Art Center. By the time the evening was over, Bill had found a place for Charles to rent, some work, and would represent Charles in Bill's gallery. It must have been quite a day for Charles.
moved there and, even then, they had only recently met. But Dorr told Charles about Mendocino, so he packed what little he had in his old station wagon, and moved to Mendocino. The night that Charles arrived, Dorr introduced him to Bill and Jenny Zacha, who were just starting the Mendocino Art Center. By the time the evening was over, Bill had found a place for Charles to rent, some work, and would represent Charles in Bill's gallery. It must have been quite a day for Charles.
Charles painted Dorr in her element: painting in her studio.
Portrait of Matt Leach...
acrylic on panel, approximately 48" x 38", 1994
photo by C. G. Blick
photo by C. G. Blick
After a few years of working with Charles I got to know his techniques and what inspired him. Charles owned this huge comical model paintbrush, and during one long day of painting, I felt a need for some creative exercise. I put Peter Gabriels' "Steam" on the stereo, cranked up the volume, grabbed the big brush and started moving to the music like an improvising martial artist. Charles grabbed the camera and started shooting. Seeing what he was doing, I started inventing a series of strong poses to the music that I thought he might like to use in a painting.
It took Charles's insight though to paint some meaning into my antics. Here is Carol Goodwin Blick's interpretation of the painting. It took Carol's insight to finally show me what this painting may mean:
"Charles Stevenson's creative collaborator in Stevenson Leach Studio is the subject of Portrait of the Artist: Matt Leach as a Young Man in the Computer Age. The young artist is pictured as a solitary ronin, armed only with his brush, doing battle against the incursions of the computer age, fighting for the survival of ancient traditions."
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