All artworks by Stephen Mauldin
IMP SERIES • 22 artworks
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These diamond-shaped pieces can best be described as a full spectrum of colors imploding/exploding from [...]
These diamond-shaped pieces can best be described as a full spectrum of colors imploding/exploding from a center point on a gray ground. They evolved from the diamond-shaped panels in the "Poles/Dipole Series". I liked those panels so much I decided to refine the idea in a new series. I'm always amazed that a painting is just paint on a piece of fabric but can create such magic. I wanted to make that more obvious in this series, right down to the raw, exposed canvas around the edges. Although I prefer that the canvas remain unstretched, it can be stretched, if desired, using a textural line that surrounds the image as a guide. The resulting stretched canvas would be a one foot square with the title and signature/date on the bottom edges of the canvas.
The small pieces on paper in the next series ("PREIMP Series") are done simultaneously with
these "IMP" pieces.
The small pieces on paper in the next series ("PREIMP Series") are done simultaneously with
these "IMP" pieces.
PREIMP SERIES • 81 artworks
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These small pieces on paper are free explorations of optically mixed color. They are done simultaneously [...]
These small pieces on paper are free explorations of optically mixed color. They are done simultaneously with the larger "IMP" pieces. As I begin working on any given "IMP" piece, I have to warm up the tool I use to sling the paint, as well as find out how the color I'm about to use is going to behave. Each color behaves differently due to differences in viscosity caused by the particular pigment in the color. Rather than waste the paint used to gather this information, I make quick decisions regarding combinations of colors on the small pieces of paper as I get a feel for each before adding it to the larger "IMP" piece. As the layers build up, new "optical" colors appear. After the first few, these small pieces became standardized in size and format, with four accompanying each "IMP".
POLES/DIPOLE SERIES • 19 artworks
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This is a series of canvases exploring the optical mixing of color that evolved from single panel pieces [...]
This is a series of canvases exploring the optical mixing of color that evolved from single panel pieces to two panel pieces and finally to four panel pieces. All of the changes that fueled that evolution related primarily to proportions, spacing, and the efficient use of materials, dull as that may sound. The basic idea, which was related to the optical mixing of color, never changed, it just became more refined and took on new meanings. Surprisingly, they evolved into something I never expected with a kind of pre-ordained order. It was a fun ride.
PRESENCE SERIES • 15 artworks
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All the paintings in this series ask the same question: What if this vast, breathtakingly beautiful [...]
All the paintings in this series ask the same question: What if this vast, breathtakingly beautiful physical universe that the Hubble Telescope and other instruments have documented in recent years intersects another universe, a universe of mind, of sentience? Two universes, existing in the same space (there is, after all, a lot of space between the tiny bits that make up our universe, on both sub-atomic and cosmological scales); two universes, intersecting but not interacting. The webs in these paintings represent the physical universe and are inspired by Hubble images, although they are, in fact, only slightly stylized interpretations of an image, generated by a supercomputer, of the web of galaxies and galaxies clusters in the early universe. The figures are meant to be "sentience" on another plane, pervading our universe but not interacting with it. As a group, these paintings represent an ongoing refinement of that idea...a Universe of Mind and Spirit.
NEBULA SERIES • 7 artworks
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Beginning around 2006, I used an electric little mark I had found to create images of "the universe [...]
Beginning around 2006, I used an electric little mark I had found to create images of "the universe of mind and spirit" as I envisioned it, inspired by images of the physical universe produced by the Hubble space telescope. I worked for several years to refine these images, especially the spatial aspects. All the pieces have a spatial structure built on a three-dimensional grid. Relationships between "figures" define that grid as it recedes in depth. Permeating that grid is a much larger, serene, higher(?) figure. A universe of Awareness. A universe with nebulas like our own.
SPECIES SERIES • 8 artworks
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These paintings are inspired by the visual cataloguing of plants and animals in the Victorian era. I [...]
These paintings are inspired by the visual cataloguing of plants and animals in the Victorian era. I had been doing some studies related to more biological themes and this series came along due to the small scale of each piece. This is the only series that resulted from those studies to date, but there were studies for a "Biolog" series with one-celled organisms and a "Primord" series that resembled primitive aquatic plants. I may yet explore both those themes.
HEARTS AND FIRECRACKERS • 6 artworks
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As it happens, my birthday is the Fourth of July and m wife's birthday happens to be Valentine's Day. [...]
As it happens, my birthday is the Fourth of July and m wife's birthday happens to be Valentine's Day. It dawned on me one day that it was a bit odd that I had never made images of hearts or firecrackers. That sent me, briefly, on a tangent.
STRING THEORY SERIES • 11 artworks
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The paintings in this series were my first attempt at depicting a "universe of mind and spirit". It [...]
The paintings in this series were my first attempt at depicting a "universe of mind and spirit". It was inspired, in large part by my discovery of an electric little mark that suggested string theory to me. The mark is the embodiment of energy and string theory suggests that everything is, ultimately , made of tiny knots of energy.
STAMPED SERIES • 12 artworks
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This body of work was created buy stamping all the signifiers onto the canvas. I hand-carved all the [...]
This body of work was created buy stamping all the signifiers onto the canvas. I hand-carved all the stamps myself using art gum erasers to begin with, then I used a rubbery material marketed for printmaking. I created several dozen stamps to use as the "vocabulary" for these paintings. The content addresses the concept of a layered reality.
SHADOW SERIES • 16 artworks
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This body of work uses shadows to address the idea that everyday reality is a shadow of a much larger [...]
This body of work uses shadows to address the idea that everyday reality is a shadow of a much larger reality. There are also many other signifiers in each piece that deal with the idea of the larger reality being multi-layered.
Sold by Exhibizone • 1 artwork
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Biography
Stephen Mauldin is a contemporary American artist known for his experimental approach to painting. His fascination with art began at the age of seven, and by ten, he was exploring oil painting, inspired by an early encounter with Leonardo da Vinci's engineering works. This experience sparked a lifelong passion for pushing the boundaries of paint and its capabilities.
Throughout his career, Mauldin has continuously experimented with new techniques, leading him to develop innovative methods such as creating "paint assemblages" by transferring paint from glass, extruding paint from syringes to form web-like paintings, and slinging paint at high speeds from ultra-fine straight pins onto canvas. The marks produced by these techniques, characterized by electric energy and fine detail, became central to his work, particularly in their symbolic resonance with string theory.
Beginning in 2006, Mauldin used this distinct mark to depict "the universe of mind and spirit," drawing inspiration from Hubble Space Telescope images. His work evolved into a series of radiant figures set against webs resembling galaxy clusters, which also mirrored the web of neurons in the brain. This exploration led him to delve deeper into optical color mixing, which he developed through his "Poles" series—an abstract exploration of color interaction through overlapping fine skeins of paint.
Currently, Mauldin is working on a new series of diamond-shaped paintings, expanding on the visual themes from his "Poles" series. These works, featuring raw, torn fabric edges and grommets for wall attachment, focus exclusively on the optical mixing of color. For Mauldin, the magic of painting lies in its ability to transform simple fabric and paint into something extraordinary, a concept he aims to highlight in his latest creations.
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Nationality:
UNITED STATES
- Date of birth : 1952
- Artistic domains:
- Groups: Contemporary American Artists
Ongoing and Upcoming art events
No data available yet
Influences
Education
1979 - 1981
Masters of Fine arts with concentration in painting and printmaking
Moscow,
Idaho,
United States
1970 - 1974
Bachelor of Arts with a major in Art
Olkahoma City,
Oklahoma,
United States
Artist value certified
No data available yet
Galleries & Groups
Presented by 2 Art Galleries or Groups
Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery
(Art gallery, United States)
Exhibizone
(Art gallery, Canada)Achievements
Collective Expositions
2020
"7Th Annual Living Mark Exhibition"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
2018
"5Th Annual Living Mark Exhibition"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
2016
"3Rd Annual Abstract Catalyst Exhibition"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
2015
"Ethos, Pathos, Logos"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
2015
"Ethos"
Los Angeles,
California,
United States
2015
"Abstract Sanctuary"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
2003
"18Th Annual Greater Midwest International Exhibition"
Warrensburg,
Missouri,
United States
2000
"Human Form"
Newport,
Oregon,
United States
2000
"Shadows 2000"
Coos Bay,
Oregon,
United States
1999
"For And Against Tradition"
Albuquerque,
New Mexico,
United States
1999
"All Oregon Art Annual (Professional Category)"
Salem,
Oregon,
United States
1999
The Inquisitive Object: A Biennial Review Of Northwest Art & Craft"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
1997
"All Oregon Art Annual (Professional Category)"
Salem,
Oregon,
United States
1996
"Human Form"
Newport,
Oregon,
United States
1996
"All Oregon Art Annual (Professional Category)"
Salem,
Oregon,
United States
1996
"16Th Annual Northwest International Art Competition"
Bellingham,
Washington,
United States
1995
"8Th National Drawing And Print Competitive Exhibition"
Baltimore,
Maryland,
United States
1995
"The Land, (Biennial Competition)"
Tacoma,
Washington,
United States
1994
"Human Form"
Newport,
Oregon,
United States
1994
"All Oregon Art Annual (Professional Category)"
Salem,
Oregon,
United States
1994
"All Oregon Art Annual (Professional Category)"
Salem,
Oregon,
United States
1977
"Artists Of Oregon Show"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
1976
"18Th Annual Eight State Exhibition"
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma,
United States
Solo Expositions
2016
Featured Artist In Quest Magazine (Journal Of The Theosophical Society In America)
Worldwide Publication,
United States
2009
"Cognitive Ruminations"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
2006
"Icons"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
2000
"Intersection"
Sewanee,
Tennessee,
United States
2000
"Shadows In Time"
Baltimore,
Maryland,
United States
2000
"By A Factor Of +/- 2.5"
Shawnee,
Oklahoma,
United States
1995
"New Work"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
1992
"Ten Years: 1981-1991"
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma,
United States
1992
"Paintings"
Portland,
Oregon,
United States
1986
"Recent Work"
Seattle,
Washington,
United States
1984
"Processes Of Perception"
Savannah,
Georgia,
United States
1976
"Ironing Out The Wrinkles"
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma,
United States
Activity on ArtMajeur
Last modification date : Aug 1, 2025
(Member since 2020)
Image views: 73,841
Artworks by Stephen Mauldin added to favorite collections: 62
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