Stewart works as a Printmaker from his Devon Studio, combining elements of site-specific photography, painting & drawing.
He has been continually interested in the self-inflicted demise Mankind faces within our Anthropocene era, & our behaviour within it. Although the outlook here is perpetually fearful & pessimistic he tries to create a contrary world of destruction & beauty, where change, metaphysics, erasure, air & light are all of critical importance; but also where the relationships between landscape, living things & humanity are paramount.
He is presently engaged in a project called The Tree Portraits which is made up of over 300 Monoprints, some of which were exhibited as multiples of 15 in both ”The Tree Portraits I” [for both Art Number 23 ‘New Era’, & the 2020 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair Online Edition] & ”The Tree Portraits II” at the 16th Graphica Creativa Print Triennale in Finland 2022-23, with the Jyväskylä Art Museum acquiring this piece for their print collection in March 2023.
All of this initial imagery was derived from photos of pollarded street trees near his previous home in East London & moved into print using Gelliplates.
He originally found huge flexibility in working with this new method (without requiring a printing press), which allowed him to print in situ when travelling around the USA, Spain & Portugal in 2019, & gave an immediacy to observing the landscape around him.
These works gradually evolved from a simple engagement with his surroundings to deeper conversations about man’s place in nature, & how he has forgotten to connect & truly engage with it; through to the ongoing Tree Portraits Series, where the one-off nature of each print emphasises the unique character of each Tree. This suite of prints has been further nourished by starting a small-scale rewilding project in 2019 close to his Devon home.
Stewart previously was a keyholder at East London Printmakers for over a decade (where he remains a Member), where he was Project Leader of the Mile End – Copperfield Road Studio Build for their successful move from London Fields. During his time there worked exclusively in screenprint, whilst simultaneously working as a media professional in the City.
After graduating in Fine Art at Farnham in 1994 he joined Artichoke Print Workshop, where he specialised in Photoetching .
Stewart has exhibited regularly at the Affordable Art Fairs since its inception in 1999; he has been selected for all 5 of the most recent editions of The Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, with several appearances at both the RA Summer Show & the National Original Print Show, winning the Great Art Prize at the latter in 2018 for ‘Alcala’.
©Stewart Taylor 2023
