Santa Fe, NM
Adaptation 2
acrylic & colored pencil on cradled panel
36" x 36"
2022
$3300
About
Christa Stephens uses a visual language of geometric shapes and saturated color to create explicitly structured compositions. Drawing upon the sensory and perceptual experiences intrinsic to her life as an autistic woman, her unconventional, hard-edge paintings emerge from a conscientious practice where relationships between color, line, and form develop through a series of precise, methodical applications. Stephens grew up on the high plains of eastern NM in the years before autism was understood as a neurodiverse spectrum. Although traits were present from an early age, her differences were misconstrued and she was frequently stigmatized for what others considered to be objectionable eccentricities. She found refuge in creative endeavors and received a formal midlife diagnosis of ASD. Her paintings have been exhibited in museums, galleries, and contemporary art centers throughout the southwestern United States.
Artist Statement
My work synthesizes elemental shapes with perceptual experiences. Drawing upon the sensory information that inspires and overwhelms me on a daily basis, I devise systematic methods to depict relationships between primary forms. Color, line, and repetition are the tools I use to transmute lived reality into visual metaphor. Through this practice, I investigate and idealize the concept of equality. The search for balance can be seen in both my process and finished paintings. Beginning with acrylic paint, I build a spontaneously stratified surface. This is followed by subsequent layers of carefully rendered formational overlays, using templates and drafting tools to delineate polyrhythmic patterns.
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