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Guy Stevens 1947 – 2013
Guy graduated from Furman University in 1970 with a major in Art and the Maxwell award
for outstanding achievement. Born and raised in Greenville, he boldly took up painting as a
full time occupation. As he was a bit of a cliff hanger, he chose not to supplement his income
with portrait painting or teaching even though he had a gift for both. In many ways his
stubbornness paid off. He was able to paint thousands of paintings and hundreds of
breakthrough compositions. By the time he passed on so many of his works had achieved
wide appeal. He painted still lifes, landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes and figures with a very
imaginative approach. He was definitely a colorist and took great care in finding harmony
between his colors and the way he applied and mixed them.

Guy painted for the last time on April 6th, 2013 with the help of his youngest son Nathan. In
fact, he painted over a dozen paintings the last month of his life. Painting was like breathing to
that man. Even as he struggled with serious health conditions, he came to life when he
painted and shared his work with friends, collectors and fans.

Guy’s painting tours span the world. His paintings are held in private collections throughout
the world and in dozens of corporate collections in the United States. After graduating from
Furman, he wanted to announce himself as a serious painter to his home town. He took a
year to produce a series titled the “The Tree of Life”. The largest piece of the group was
54”x54” and took over six months to complete, with everything above reflected precisely in the
water below. The fantasy realism series was shown at the Greenville Museum in an exhibit
titled: Four Young Painters in 1972. After that feat, he had to cut loose and embrace much
freer modes of expression. His palette became very festive. He travelled to Mexico and
returned with over 25 beautiful pastels with mask motifs. He continued to paint trees and
landscapes embracing both an expressionist and impressionist approach.

Throughout the 70’s and early 80’s Guy painted so many series, one in Cancun, some in
Florida, Caribbean Islands, Lake Keowee, Cedar Mountain, South Carolina Coast and of
course in his Greenville studio. The one in Cancun was destined for a new branch of
Southern Bank and Trust. The inauguration press release read: “You can now do your
banking in an art gallery.”

From the 90’s on, Guy primarily worked with oils and watercolors. Watercolor was his
preferred medium while traveling, although he also produced oils if time permitted. He painted
and lived in Bermuda in 1988, New York City in 1990 and San Francisco in 1991. He
undertook a long painting tour of the US and Canadian East Coast in 1997 with his three year
old son Nathan as navigator. Nathan appeared napping in several of the paintings. He
travelled to eight European Countries in 1998 while painting every day. He returned to

Greenville with more than 40 paintings, and completed the five oils he had begun in Paris.
The work was truly remarkable. He had found a new voice while in Europe, both stylistically
and in subject. He completed the collection in his home studio with a 60”x40” oil, titled Paris,
filled with whimsical details, buildings, the Seine, the Eiffel tower, flower fairies, etc…
In 1999, the lure was too irresistible and Guy had to return. Europe had become home to
him. That year he wrote his memoir as he travelled. Every week an article was published in
Greenville’s Creative Loafing. He painted in Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands,
Britain but it was in Fiesole, Italy that he made his home. He took home another breakthrough
collection with Firenze as the star. In 2000, he painted in six European Countries
concentrating on Lake Ammersee, Germany and Venice. In Venice he painted both plein air
and from his room which offered a beautiful view. He returned to France and Britain in 2003
for the last time. But it is Hydra, the Greek Isle that had most captured his heart and attention.
He painted on the Island of Painters during the Spring of 2001 for five weeks. No cars or
mopeds allowed. The Harbor so captured his imagination, to the end of his days, he always
returned to the subject. He was also enamored by an area of the Island named Kamini Village
— adorned with red roofs, yellow fields, brilliant colored sky and sea. He certainly did it justice.
Guy painted the Hawaiian Islands in 1999 and in 2002, Jamaica with his son Julien in
2005. Jamaica was to be his last important tour and to have Julien as his guide was a
godsend. Every trip was a labor of love, and would bring him such fulfillment. During his later
years he painted closer to home, occasionally in Florida and on the South Carolina coast but
mostly on Pendleton street, later on the River Walk, downtown Greenville and in his home
studio. He hardly ever used pictures. He was filled with deep inner imagery he collected
throughout his life, both awake and in the dream state.

Guy treated each painting like he would his own child, embracing and nurturing the creative
process. At the end of his life, he was a true inspiration for people who may have lost a
portion of their physical and mental alertness. He continued to paint to the end with love and
gratitude. As a result he painted very touching work during his last month.
A dear friend and collector Luis Arrondo so taken with Guy’s work said: “Guy painted
spiritual portals. His dreamlike paintings are doorways to the other worlds.” Severin Kron,
closed friend and Parisian artist wrote: “Guy was about changing the world by looking at it
with the eyes of love.” French Canadian Poet Paule Nord wrote: “Guy Stevens is a ray of light
through galaxies”.

www.guystevensart.com

 

Cate Stevens

Artist Statement:

All forms of art fascinate me and it’s impossible for me to choose just one. Because I am such a dancer at heart, it is very present in my work.

Although I have been painting since childhood my journey as a painter is really just beginning. As a child and teen I worked with clay, fiber, clothes design, silk paper, paint, dance, theater, music and creative writing. My father was a well known sculptor and potter. So I grew up in a creative environment.

Traveling has filled me with renewed enthusiasm. The Light is what I am most drawn to and this is why I paint: I want to express the light I experience within. I love to develop relations between texture and color. I seem drawn to the enchanted and I know it comes from early childhood. I remember stepping into flower fields, and like magic I would enter my own dreamlike world. That imagery never left me and today I strive to put it on canvas.

Medium:  Acrylics

I mostly work with acrylics. I mostly paint landscapes, still lives and abstracts. While traveling I often use watercolors & colored pencil. I have explore other mediums, such as batik and clay sculpture. Despite my love for the visual arts, writing is a consuming pursuit and I hope to devote writing and painting more time in my near future.

Online:

Web address: catestevensart.com

On Facebook: The Paintings of Guy & Cate Stevens

Instagram: catestevensart

Email: [email protected]