RUN WITH ME BABY

HUGO GALERIE, NYC 2017

What is reality? Brian Keith Stephens' playfully painted & palate knife scraped masterpieces, unconsciously entices the viewer to complete an experience for themselves. This subjective perception leads to an unavoidable internalization and is individually exclusive, utterly unique. Brian's work engages the casual gazer, or pensive admirer to have a co-stake in each creation, prodding them to add mental brush strokes to finish a relatable fantasy. Does foreground infringe on background, or does the painting as a whole infringe on traditional notions of reality? These bold images connote escapism, beckon mutiny against the status quo, jarring loose tales of innocence through youthful exuberance. This exhibition conjures beautiful thoughts relived of simple times, before the transition to implacable societal roles had become concrete hard, fixed. Solace can be found in adolescence, when natures language was easy to speak and understand. Here in also lies the duality of how Stephens must balance out visually what must be revealed to convey his artistic vision. Comparable to a strong magnet, both capable of attracting, or repelling: pigments must also be structured to float on the surface, or be pushed to recede into subtle obscurity. Command over the oil medium successfully conveys a realistic, "not of this earth", modern fable narrative. Every canvas is rendered using principles of visual economy, where ambiguity yields surprising clarity, nourishing a receptive mind to embrace a tantalizing concoction of seemingly disjointed images. The effect is not unlike imbibing an alcoholic beverage to alleviate an overly burdened mind, tranquility invades, erasing adult tension, followed by bliss. Fears of youthful abandonment on the brink of imminent extinction cease, life's mundane rituals of a staid existence encroaching on simple pleasures are eradicated. Ripe is the time to engage in laissez faire frivolity, sanctuary will once again be found when you - RUN WITH ME BABY.