Steven Spazuk: Flowers, Triggers of Peace

steven spazuk

Flowers | Triggers of Peace

steven spazuk

Flowers | Triggers of Peace

steven spazuk

Flowers | Triggers of Peace

Introduction by Adam Adelson

Cover: Making Peace Happen, 2018

Inside Cover: Flower Gun, detail, 2018

Essay Images: FLOWERS | Triggers of Peace, 2018. Film by Araya Everett & Oli Bernardi

URL: https://youtu.be/LlVSRO9K73o

A

ccording to anthropologists, Homo Sapiens evolved to become apex predators on the planet earth when they learned that they could control fire. Fire kept us warm, cooked our food – leading to brain development, and helped to fend off predators. As we continued to evolve, fire became a weapon and led to the destruction of civilizations. The same element that sustained human life also has the potential to destroy it. Today is not much different: we use combustible energy and burn fossil fuels to power our engines, which drive progress and technology at a great cost for the environment. We also use fire to spark explosive weaponry that both protects us and senselessly annihilates others. The effect that fire has had on human beings is enormous, and civilizations have used it as a symbol of life and death for thousands of years. Steven Spazuk embraces this fact by using fire as his primary medium in his artwork.

To achieve his painterly depictions, Spazuk gently and deliberately directs a candle’s flame to the surface of his panels. The fire scorches and kisses wisps of black carbon residue, which shapes the silhouettes of his figures. He then carefully scratches away and removes the soot to reveal each composition

In order to achieve color in his artworks, he the artist often begins his pieces by applying colorful acrylic paint before “smoking” them with fire. As he scratches away, he reveals the colors underneath, which help define the subjects of his works.

Spazuk displays his breadth of materials in this exhibition by including new sculptures in glass and wax. The multi-layered glass creates the illusion of a threedimensional floating object, even though he has only applied smoke to the surface of each sheet. As one walks around the sculpture, the image disappears then reappears on the other side. The artist has also chosen to use wax as a medium. The slightly melted sculptures, with burnt wicks, remind us of the fragility of life and how quickly it can change – especially if a weapon abruptly ends life. These glass and wax sculptures give a new dimension to Spazuk’s oeuvre.

Steven Spazuk’s unique medium catches people’s attention, and his subject matter allows a quiet moment of reflection about current world issues. Spazuk fills his works with symbolism or subtle narratives that display his impassioned ecological or social sentiments. Almost all of the artworks in this exhibition contain an image of one of humankind’s most destructive inventions: the firearm. Guns – infused with flowers – are referential to domestic shootings as well as humanity’s often violent relationship with the natural world. The artist’s approach to these controversial topics are neither vindictive nor are they meant to be chastising to gun owners; instead, the compositions are reminders to all that beauty, love,

and peace – symbolized by flowers – are more potent than aggression and fear.

Our current political climate in the United States often seems more divided than in recent history. Neither side wants to concede to the other, and any kind of protest only furthers the polarity. Artwork can be cultural adhesive – bringing people together for the sake of enjoying beauty or admiring someone’s talent. If the artist is successful, the unique qualities of their creation will act as a colorful lens for the viewer to see an old topic in a new light. Moreover, Spazuk’s artwork serves as a visual reminder of the beauty in life – bringing humanity together in harmony with Nature. He does not intend to fuel the political fire by portraying guns; rather, the images remind us of the power of flowers (love), despite the epidemic of misused firearms.

Adam Adelson Director

Adelson Galleries Boston

12

Ceasefire, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

x 10 inches

Flower

12 x 10 inches

Power, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

Fumage on panel

8 inches in diameter

POW-POW-POW, 2018

8 inches in diameter

Peace in Canon, 2018

Fumage on panel

Give Peace a Chance, 2018

12 x 10 inches

Fumage and acrylic on panel

Loaded with a Flower, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

Thinking of Peace, 2018

14 inches in

Fumage on panel

diameter

Making Peace Happen, 2018

Fumage on panel

12 x 10 inches

Muzzle in Bloom, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

Fumage on panel

14 inches in diameter

Flowers in Canon, 2018

Peace Please, 2018

12

Fumage and acrylic on panel

x 10 inches

Please, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

Small Peace Offering, 2018

12 x 10 inches

Fumage and acrylic on panel

14

Thinking of Peace - 2, 2018

Fumage on panel

inches in diameter

Thank You Jane Rose Kasmir, 2018

12 x 10 inches

Fumage and acrylic on panel

Peace Gun, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

16 x 12 inches

Let Peace Bloom, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

20 x 16 inches

Flower Gun, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

20 x 16 inches

Peace Offering, 2018

20 x 16 inches

Fumage and acrylic on panel

Paix, 2018

Fumage on panel

36 inches in diameter

Fumage on panel

36 inches in diameter

Pax, 2018

Flower Gun, 2018

Fumage on glass panels

17 x 14 1/2 x 6 3/4 inches

Smoking Gun, 2018

Fumage on glass panels

17 x 14 1/2 x 6 3/4 inches

One Day Nature Will Take Over, 2018

Wax 14 x 14 x 3 1/2 inches

Grenade, 2018

Wax 8 x 8 x 5 inches

Chrysanthemums, 2018

Fumage, acrylic, and gold leaf on panel

72 x 48 inches

Guns & Roses, 2018

Fumage, acrylic, and gold leaf on panel

36 inches in diameter

Biophilia (Hummingbird), 2018

Fumage, and acrylic on panel

60 inches in diameter

Biophilia (Hummingbird), 2018

Soot and acrylic on panel

60 inches

Ceasefire, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

Chrysanthemums, 2018

Fumage, acrylic, and gold leaf on panel

72 x 48 inches

Flower Gun, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

20 x 16 inches

Flower Gun, 2018

Fumage on glass panels

17 x 14 1/2 x 6 3/4 inches

Flowers in Canon, 2018

Fumage on panel

14 inches in diameter

Flower Power, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

Give Peace a Chance, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

Grenade, 2018

Wax

14 x 14 x 3 1/2 inches

Guns & Roses, 2018

Fumage, acrylic, and gold leaf on panel

36 inches in diameter

Let Peace Bloom, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

20 x 16 inches

Loaded with a Flower, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

Making Peace Happen, 2018

Fumage on panel

12 x 10 inches

Muzzle in Bloom, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

One Day Nature Will Take Over, 2018 Wax

14 x 14 x 3 1/2 inches

Paix, 2018

Soot and acrylic on panel

36 inches in diameter

Pax, 2018 Soot and acrylic on panel

16 x 12 inches

Peace Gun, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

16 x 12 inches

Peace in Canon, 2018

Fumage on panel

8 inches in diameter

Peace Offering, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

20 x 16 inches

Peace Please, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

Please, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

POW-POW-POW, 2018

Fumage on panel

8 inches in diameter

Small Peace Offering, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

Smoking Gun, 2018

Fumage on glass panels

17 x 14 1/2 x 6 3/4 inches

Thank You Jane Rose Kasmir, 2018

Fumage and acrylic on panel

12 x 10 inches

Thinking of Peace, 2018

Fumage on panel

14 inches in diameter

Thinking of Peace - 2, 2018 Fumage on panel 14 inches in diameter