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The large triptych Lagoon With Vog is about swimming in Hawaii, which utilizes a black that is achieved
with metallic and translucent purple, the rich color of lava rock with acidic dripping green outlines which
mirror the acrid Hawaiian pollution called vog. Jean’s own footprints provide a bas-relief through the
bright yellow that flows around the hot pink figures who seem to be very active in their repose. Thick
paint on heavy handmade paper is suspended in framing incorporated into the piece.
Another image that deals with Hawaii’s somewhat darker side is the painting View of Kileua from
Kapaho. The hanging turtle is an image inspired by a Japanese wood-block print by Hokusei
Katsushika (1760-1849) but also refers to a more personal turtle adventure. She and her husband
alerted an experienced scuba diver that a turtle was caught in a poacher’s illegal net. The diver, named
Marty, was a woman in her eighties who took away the netting after releasing the turtle. When she
afterward reappeared in her mild mannered guise of old lady in Muu Muu and big hat, Jean saw the
knife strapped on her leg to protect herself from any poachers with ideas of revenge. The undercurrent
of violence on the island normally associated with paradise is brought to the fore with the image of
Marty in the corner, looking a bit cautious and brandishing her weapon. Behind her a volcano spews
the illusive promise of treasure. Lightning strikes a warning note. The flowered purple figure wearing a
scuba mask and holding a torch is spirit that Hawaiian’s believe in called a Night Marcher that are
thought to be dangerous if seen. One night Jean was awakened by an unaccustomed sound from the
ocean. She thought she saw a gathering of Night Marchers shining their lights in the dark; but it turned
out to be locals spearing squid.
Way to Go is dominated by the image of death from Gauguin’s Spirit of the Dead Watching. This work
began in response to children’s deaths on Hawaii by tsunami, and then like all her work, began to
weave in the personal, layered and surprising responses. A petroglyph named Running Man is given a
torch and runs through an outdoor shower remembered from staying in an old coffee shack at Lapa
Hoi Hoi.
The canvases that use her collage technique are stronger than those on canvas, in spite of the extra
texture in the paint itself. The larger works are also more successful than the smaller ones. Having
more room to maneuver helps in her process.
Complexity of surface provides maximum underlying texture for the acrylic paint, which is applied with a
bravura and almost challenging attitude. One of the reasons the works are successful is that there are
at least three paintings under them, and it is the resultant rich layering, and the explorations, starting
over and changing her mind, a process not unlike the tenacious discipline of weaving, that takes the
work to a satisfying finish.
There is a vast difference between these works and the ones she used to produce for sale in a
commercial gallery. Previously the intrinsic charm of signature and unchallenging imagery, combined
with simple color contrasts, sold the work on strictly ‘it’s easy to live with’ decorative quality. Her natural
way of working with strong shapes, intense colors and an irrepressible quality were being turned into
formulaic and constrained works that were as tied down as she felt. Her new work shows that her
originality and imagination are intact and if anything strengthened by her somewhat rebelliousness
against the market attitude. Stamsta has retained the ability to keep her compositions uncluttered, but
through her now more time consuming process, they are much more satisfying.
- Pat Hidson
Pat Hidson is a Milwaukee-based painter.
Comments? Email comments@susceptibletoimages.com
with metallic and translucent purple, the rich color of lava rock with acidic dripping green outlines which
mirror the acrid Hawaiian pollution called vog. Jean’s own footprints provide a bas-relief through the
bright yellow that flows around the hot pink figures who seem to be very active in their repose. Thick
paint on heavy handmade paper is suspended in framing incorporated into the piece.
Another image that deals with Hawaii’s somewhat darker side is the painting View of Kileua from
Kapaho. The hanging turtle is an image inspired by a Japanese wood-block print by Hokusei
Katsushika (1760-1849) but also refers to a more personal turtle adventure. She and her husband
alerted an experienced scuba diver that a turtle was caught in a poacher’s illegal net. The diver, named
Marty, was a woman in her eighties who took away the netting after releasing the turtle. When she
afterward reappeared in her mild mannered guise of old lady in Muu Muu and big hat, Jean saw the
knife strapped on her leg to protect herself from any poachers with ideas of revenge. The undercurrent
of violence on the island normally associated with paradise is brought to the fore with the image of
Marty in the corner, looking a bit cautious and brandishing her weapon. Behind her a volcano spews
the illusive promise of treasure. Lightning strikes a warning note. The flowered purple figure wearing a
scuba mask and holding a torch is spirit that Hawaiian’s believe in called a Night Marcher that are
thought to be dangerous if seen. One night Jean was awakened by an unaccustomed sound from the
ocean. She thought she saw a gathering of Night Marchers shining their lights in the dark; but it turned
out to be locals spearing squid.
Way to Go is dominated by the image of death from Gauguin’s Spirit of the Dead Watching. This work
began in response to children’s deaths on Hawaii by tsunami, and then like all her work, began to
weave in the personal, layered and surprising responses. A petroglyph named Running Man is given a
torch and runs through an outdoor shower remembered from staying in an old coffee shack at Lapa
Hoi Hoi.
The canvases that use her collage technique are stronger than those on canvas, in spite of the extra
texture in the paint itself. The larger works are also more successful than the smaller ones. Having
more room to maneuver helps in her process.
Complexity of surface provides maximum underlying texture for the acrylic paint, which is applied with a
bravura and almost challenging attitude. One of the reasons the works are successful is that there are
at least three paintings under them, and it is the resultant rich layering, and the explorations, starting
over and changing her mind, a process not unlike the tenacious discipline of weaving, that takes the
work to a satisfying finish.
There is a vast difference between these works and the ones she used to produce for sale in a
commercial gallery. Previously the intrinsic charm of signature and unchallenging imagery, combined
with simple color contrasts, sold the work on strictly ‘it’s easy to live with’ decorative quality. Her natural
way of working with strong shapes, intense colors and an irrepressible quality were being turned into
formulaic and constrained works that were as tied down as she felt. Her new work shows that her
originality and imagination are intact and if anything strengthened by her somewhat rebelliousness
against the market attitude. Stamsta has retained the ability to keep her compositions uncluttered, but
through her now more time consuming process, they are much more satisfying.
- Pat Hidson
Pat Hidson is a Milwaukee-based painter.
Comments? Email comments@susceptibletoimages.com
Jean Stamsta
Rowe Art Gallery
Humphrey Art Center, Carroll College
238 N. East Avenue, Waukesha.
262-524-7192
Through November 22
Jean Stamsta has had an impressive art career, however this exhibit is her first in some years.
Ensconced in her studio in Monches, a tiny pastoral enclave west of Milwaukee, she has taken time off
from her art to rejuvenate and recover from the pressures of the art market. This show is all about what
happens when an artist has time to make art for the joy of it. On the night of the opening, she spoke
about her inspirations while also celebrating her 70th birthday.
In the early 70’s Stamsta won a National Endowment grant for her seminal work as a fiber artist. Carroll
College possesses three of her woven sculptures, which were done when she learned to do tubular
weaving after feeling too constrained by the traditional loom. The thirst for an untried format is a
recurring theme in the path that her work has taken. After learning the craft of papermaking she used it to
make serious art that was subsequently exhibited extensively in Europe. It is only recently that she has
considered herself a painter.
Jean Stamsta’s new work fills the Lowe Gallery with tremendous energy. The large figures seem to
swim in the space as though it were an aquarium. Eyes are looking boldly out in most of the pieces,
and heads pop into the picture plane from all directions. These new works were inspired by a number of
influences: Wisconsin’s effigies, the swimming avidly pursued by her whole family, and the airplanes
that her sons build and fly, as well as stories.
Rowe Art Gallery
Humphrey Art Center, Carroll College
238 N. East Avenue, Waukesha.
262-524-7192
Through November 22
Jean Stamsta has had an impressive art career, however this exhibit is her first in some years.
Ensconced in her studio in Monches, a tiny pastoral enclave west of Milwaukee, she has taken time off
from her art to rejuvenate and recover from the pressures of the art market. This show is all about what
happens when an artist has time to make art for the joy of it. On the night of the opening, she spoke
about her inspirations while also celebrating her 70th birthday.
In the early 70’s Stamsta won a National Endowment grant for her seminal work as a fiber artist. Carroll
College possesses three of her woven sculptures, which were done when she learned to do tubular
weaving after feeling too constrained by the traditional loom. The thirst for an untried format is a
recurring theme in the path that her work has taken. After learning the craft of papermaking she used it to
make serious art that was subsequently exhibited extensively in Europe. It is only recently that she has
considered herself a painter.
Jean Stamsta’s new work fills the Lowe Gallery with tremendous energy. The large figures seem to
swim in the space as though it were an aquarium. Eyes are looking boldly out in most of the pieces,
and heads pop into the picture plane from all directions. These new works were inspired by a number of
influences: Wisconsin’s effigies, the swimming avidly pursued by her whole family, and the airplanes
that her sons build and fly, as well as stories.
| Jean Stamsta, Airport Beach |
| Jean Stamsta, Lagoon with Vog |