JOHN STACHOWICZ Houses, Homeboys and the Homeless 1991-2016
Sharks Tryptic, oil on linen, 36� height each, 1991
Americana (“Ice”) oil on linen 72” x 48” 1997
America, oil on linen, 72” x 48”, 1998
Mr. Irvin Young ink wash and pencil on paper 15” x 11” 2003
God Does Not Like Complainers, oil on linen, 72” x 48”, 2006
Own Nothing oil on linen 48� diameter 2006
July 4th oil on linen 48” x 48” 2011
A New Dimension (Charlie) oil on linen 24” x 24” 2011
Red Rose (The Spiderwoman) pencil/gouache/paper 30” x 22” 2012
Year of the Dragon (Eugene) oil on linen 44” x 44” 2012
Tree oil on linen 60” x 40” 2014
JOHN STACHOWICZ HOUSES HOMEBOYS AND THE HOMELESS (1991–2016) Houses, Homeboys and The Homeless is a series of over 2,000 paintings and drawings taken from real life interactions with people who lived on the streets of Manhattan. HOW DID THIS PROJECT BEGIN? This Black Portrait Series began as a Spiritual Lesson. In 1989, an incident at a job forced me to look at my own deep-rooted and easily denied racial prejudice. Specifically, a bigoted coworker and a black secretary enjoyed making fun of me because I am a gay man. One day, I inwardly exploded and I went upwards and broke through higher reality screaming “You God Damned N______ Bitch.” I was stunned, and immediately said I am so sorry. I did not know I had that inside of me. That one minute of rage led me to this 25 years of work. During my childhood I was surrounded by violence and bigotry. Every day I heard the N word hundreds of times, hatred for Jews as well. I thought I had overcome prejudices years ago. I had black friends in school. I knew that what I heard was wrong. I was shocked to hear that my Soul had been contaminated. In 1991, after 2 years of not painting, I felt directed to paint again. I made a complete break from my previous subject matter. I began making portraits of Black people, at first those around me, students, a security guard and friends of friends. Later in 1992, I went out onto the streets and began to paint the Homeless.
WHO ARE THESE MEN AND WOMEN? Almost all of the people I painted were homeless and lived on the streets of NYC. I then painted their friends and acquaintances. I often asked complete strangers sitting in parks or walking down the street with their belonging. I paid them to sit for three hours, mostly in direct sunlight (for the light and shadow), sometimes in high temperatures. The variety of people has been remarkable. In these intimate sessions I would hear the stories of their lives, sometimes lucid, sometimes veiled. I have befriended certain individuals and have painted them for many years. Eugene Gadeston (a Canner) and I have worked together for 24 years. Sheryl, James, Slim, Charlie, Carlton, Heavy and Epiphany, Each modeled repeatedly over the years. One man “Heavy” Ray Cooper sat for me in 2000. I had no work or money, but he sat for $5.00 a day (and twizzlers). I ran up a tab with him. We went out almost every day, we worked by the water on “Divided Highway” using a pile of red highway signage. I paid him back in installments over the winter. The stories and backgrounds led to titles and “mini-series” “iPod nation,” “Americana” “Prednisone Woman,” “The High Line” and “Year of the Dragon.” WHERE DOES THIS TAKE PLACE? I began painting in Chelsea’s Clement Clarke Moore Park. All the paintings were made on the west side of Manhattan, from Times Square to 14th Street, but primarily in Chelsea, the Jacob Javits Convention Center Park, Chelsea Park, Clement Clarke Moore Park and what I called “The Water,” a then underdeveloped strip of land below the
heliport (my plein-air studio for 10 years). I worked on 30th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues. This was the then abandoned High Line block, which was a shelter for the homeless. My last and current location for painting is 33rd Street by the Hudson Yards. THE BIGGER PICTURE? This has not been an academic exercise in portraiture. It is a study of people. It is a dynamic, unpredictable interaction. I dealt with randomness. I never knew what would manifest in any sitting. People got restless, the situation got out of hand, but I learned to paint quickly and capture the moment’s energy. It has been an exhilarating process to paint outdoors and from life. The juxtaposition of these faces against the graphic messages of street posters and advertisements became synchronistic, with deeper layers of meaning. For example, Eugene, the “canner,” was sitting in front of a recycling bag which had a clenched fist logo and the words “Strongman.” This bag served as a background for over a dozen paintings. Another example was when Richard sat in front of a black and white “i Pod” poster, with image of skulls and lightening bolts. They seemed to illustrate his mood that day. It has also been AMAZING to see the intersecting social realities. The High-Line (the long time abandoned aboveground train line) had been shelter for the homeless. A place to sleep at night or on a rainy day. With the worldwide success of the highline, a massive wild west type building boom has exploded. My subjects were “swept away,” displaced by the
development plans for the affluent. My personal project touched upon issues from a much larger picture. Issues such as prejudice, poverty, race, class and gender. Most personal was how racism is passed down through generations. I have painted Vietnam War veterans, abused women, substance abusers, mentally unstable, the elderly, and those just down and out. I have been touched by how much Faith and Spirit exist despite even the worst of circumstances. My personal conclusion is that these social problems arise from “the aftermath of slavery.” Lingering prejudice is still painfully prevalent in our society. AFTERWARDS That one minute of inner rage led to 25 years of work that I consider a Spiritual “Second Education.” It also made me create my own original body of work. These works are in no way a cross section of Afro-American life... I began with those I had the most tension with. My goal was to see the highest part of each person. This series became a labor of love. I enjoyed having people want to sit for me. I tried to be helpful, I brought ice-water, soda, snacks, clothes and a radio to entertain. We sat in the sun and rain and traffic, there are so many stories. I have to say thank you to everyone who sat and became a part of my project. I want to celebrate, I want to exhibit these paintings. I have well over 2,000 paintings and drawings. John Stachowicz July 2016
JOHN STACHOWICZ JohnTSchachowicz@yahoo.com Cell: 347-280-6610 Studio: 212-947-1887