Stephen Bush

While flipping through the back of Art Forum's review section I came across artist Stephen Bush. At first glance, to some,  these paintings could easily be described as an acid trip of fluorescent colors but I have been taken with these menacing, desolate cabin landscapes. I think that most people are attracted to elements of the work they create. This said, I love the lone structure contained in the abstract field of color and painterly strokes. I feel that the works tie to the feeling of the city of detroit and the neighborhoods that now appear to be more country than city-like.

 
In the press release to his show at Goff + Rosenthal it explains:  "In making each painting, there are two stages in the development of the work. First, Bush pours paint directly onto the canvas, allowing a freeform image to appear. Next, Bush begins to develop a narrative out of the abstract and accidental forms. Says Bush, "I work to discover or manipulate figurative elements with the information that presents itself in the ground."