Bill Stone, US
Energy, Color, Movement and Texture
“Painting is a mental, physical, and spiritual experience that takes me away to another place and time. I get lost in a world filled with vibrant color, rich texture and swirling movement. When I come back, I bring a piece of that world back with me.”
The highly emotionally charged paintings of artist Bill Stone are dense with feeling and passionate instinct. Energetic thick strokes create a weight and sense of elegance to his vibrant abstract works and adds vital spirit to his expressive figures. Mr. Stone’s work invites the viewer to become lost in a myriad of color, texture and movement while challenging internal reflection, emotion and response. As a radically observant artist, Mr. Stone is able to conceptualize his passionate instincts onto the canvas, capturing the power of universal breath and vitality. Strong design and layers of thick paint create a sense of weight and elegance that only become more powerful upon viewing Bill Stone's work in person. In 2004 Mr. Stone began exhibiting his work and can be found in many private collections around the country.
Bill Stone is an artist residing in Barrington, Illinois. His roots are grounded in Massachusetts where he grew up in a rural community south of Boston. He graduated from Vesper George School of Art in Boston studying fine art and commercial art. His art career began as an illustrator/graphic designer for a magazine publisher in Dedham, MA. Bill then went on to become a creative art director for a major international advertising agency in Chicago, which only fueled his artistic passion. Creating storyboards for television commercials with very little turnaround time required a bold, fast and loose drawing style that carried over into his painting.
“In advertising you need to capture and hold people’s attention… my goal is the same with my art. I want you to see something new in the painting every time you view it and I don’t want you to look away. The painting may appear complex but my technique is simple. For the base colors, I mix large pools of oil paint with a gloss medium. Working in layers from dark to light, I paint very fast. I attack the canvas and must finish in one long session because I need it to stay wet in order to achieve the desired texture. I use an extra large palette knife with a point at the end, which I use to reveal the layer underneath while applying a new one. Thick layers of oil build on top of each other creating a deep, rich texture that is accentuated by a coat of Damar varnish, once the canvas is dry.”
Most of Bill’s work is influenced by the color, movement and texture found in the natural world around us. His interpretation of the formulated chaos in nature and it’s powerful impact on the land, be it passive or aggressive, comes across with deliberate bold strokes and powerful color. This theme of nature’s power, life force or the absence of, can be seen in his abstracts and portraits.
“When you see Bill's paintings in person you can see and feel their vibrant, happy energy. It's tough to capture this in a photograph. His work is very uplifting.”
Leto 1, Oil on canvas
Scarf 45x45cm | $ 55,00
Swarm 23, Oil on canvas
Scarf 45x45cm | $ 55,00
