Stephen Schultz by Stephen Schultz19-Aug-07 - Stephen Schultz's exhibition LIMINAL NAVIGATION opened at the Verena Foundation last night.

There's an excellent article about the artist and his work written by Gorden Teskey on the Verena Foundation website. I'm not going to quote it here because it's a tad arty-farty (in other words knowledgeable and critically articulate) - instead I am going to go with my gut feel in this article - STEPHEN'S WORK IS GORGEOUS! Go and see the show immediately, you'll be missing a real treat if you don't.

Stephen is very approachable and not at all pretentious. His sensibilities didn't flinch for a second when I asked "so what's with the crows"? Having an affection for crows myself I was intrigued by the recurring theme in Stephen's paintings. "Well," he said "apart from being messengers...". He broke off, looked me in the eye and said earnestly "they have such substance", gripping my arm and squeezing it to illustrate his point.

But of course his initial statement was right, crows are messengers and in the context of his painting, they're signals that his work has messages on different levels. Strangely though my favourites were those where the crows weren't apparent but still the multi-level messages were in evidence.

Agape by Stephen SchultzTake "Agape" for example. Not a crow in sight but steeped in subliminal messages that make you question what you see. What's going on, why are the men ignoring what could be interpreted as a bundle of bamboo wrapped in bandages or something more sinister, is the bundle going up or down, what's so absorbing down there and what's the significance of the gestures of 'reaching out' at the same time as 'hesitation'? The painting depends on the mood of the moment; it could be interpreted as longing for something buried out of reach or perhaps as a feeling of hope, an instinctive knowledge that there are people willing to reach out and offer help however deep the despair. This speculative appreciation of Stephen's painting is enhanced if you don't know what he was originally going to title this painting - so I'm not going to spoil the pleasure by telling you here.

Expulsion by Stephen SchultzWhether working with oil or acrylic, he really knows how to make that paint stick on a canvas for dramatic effect. Photographs just don't do justice to the light and shade used to give each painting such depth and substance. The expression of the characters really engage you emotionally. The glow of naked skin is captivating, tempting you to reach out and stroke it. Draped curtains, expertly painted, add intrigue and suspense; what are they hiding or are they about to reveal something more. Adam and Eve in "Expulsion" exemplify Stephen's mastery of technique with difficult poses, foreshortened limbs and complicated lighting but for me the tenderness of the painting is what stands out most. Eve's modesty, her expression of outrage, her leaning into Adam seeking shelter, his out flung arm seeking to draw the curtain across in a protective gesture. There is a sense of togetherness and affection, love even.

Verena Foundation - "Angel" by Stephen Schultz (left of door)Although often inspired by biblical stories and Greek mythology, Stephen says you shouldn't take the titles of his work too literally. Behind the obvious there are many layers that illustrate a delightful sense of humour and a propensity to provoke thought.

You're immediately captivated by the effervescence and feeling of turbulent water around the shoal of fish in the "Angel". But step back and then you see the man in repose beneath them. Without knowing the name of the piece, you could simply appreciate the joy implied by being in the water watching fish swirl around you. Perhaps the man is drowning although closer inspection of the subtly painted face shows no sign of anguish. The title then adds another dimension and a better insight to the meaning.

My favourite painting by Stephen SchultzI don't know the title of my favourite painting - and I'm not sure I want to. But a conversation during the show certainly makes my point about multi-level messages. "What do you think of this one?" I asked a friend. "Well the crocodile's got a tooth-ache and the man's a dentist". I had to giggle at the literal interpretation especially as it was so completely different from what I see. Personally I find this painting rather erotic, which all goes to prove that you shouldn't rely on my opinion but take the time to see the show and make up your own mind.

The show continues until the 15th September 2007 at the red building on the corner of Kamini harbour each evening. Have fun and I hope you enjoy the show as much as I did.

Kelsey

All photos are shown here with the kind permission of Stephen Schultz and Natacha Best of the Verena Foundation. Please do not copy the photos for any reason.

Chatting with Stephen Schultz