Sanctuary of Dreams: Week Seven Painting by Stacy Stewart Smith
Sanctuary of Dreams: Week Seven Painting by Stacy Stewart Smith
Description
Sanctuary of Dreams: Week Seven
Sanctuary of Dreams: Week Seven is the last of its kind. Of the original seven shadow box works from the 2004 Sanctuary series — exhibited at Gallery Guichard in Chicago and the Stacy Stewart Smith Gallery in Brooklyn, reviewed in NY ARTS Magazine — three sold, two went missing, and Week Three remains available. This one is the final work still in the artist’s possession.
In washes of acrylic gesso and strokes of graphite, Smith rendered a view of the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge from a Q train crossing the Manhattan Bridge — layered through scratchiti on the subway glass, fog, rain, and movement. The desire to conjure illusion through layered barriers is the core impulse of Abstractrealism.
The work was damaged in transit. Smith salvaged the painting by separating it from the crushed frame and Plexiglas casing. The canvas is intact and in excellent condition. It is unframed and ready for the collector who wishes to present it in their own context.
From NY ARTS Magazine, “Piece of Mind”
“The attraction of the ‘Sanctuary’ exhibition is a seven-piece installation of contemporary shadow boxes entitled Sanctuaries of Dreams. In the Smith ideology, these are weeks of dreams inspired by biblical prophecy. The boxes are constructed of Plexiglas and a magnifying glass atop graphite, gesso and charcoal washes on canvas. The paintings beneath the Plexiglas reveal a broken panoramic view of the Brooklyn Bridge as seen from the Q train on the Manhattan Bridge. These paintings could stand alone but the added Plexiglas creates an unforgettable presence. Smith has etched enigmatic street narratives onto each panel. To conceal the mystery, he has frosted the sides of each box such that they appear as enchanted screen monitors. When light hits the boxes the etchings come to life and the landscape moves with an approach to the piece.”
Provenance
- Exhibited: Gallery Guichard, Chicago, 2004–5
- Exhibited: Stacy Stewart Smith Gallery, Brooklyn, 2004–5
- Published: NY ARTS Magazine, “Piece of Mind”
- Final work from the Sanctuary series remaining in the artist’s possession
- Related work: Sanctuary of Dreams: Week Three, also available
Medium & Dimensions
- Acrylic gesso and graphite on canvas
- 9.75” × 13.75”
- Year: 2004–5
- Unframed, excellent condition
- Signed by the artist
Acquisition
This is an original, one-of-a-kind work. Certificate of authenticity included. Ships with care from New York City.
Care
Stacy Stewart Smith offers made-to-order garments, fine art, and digital publications — each requiring different care. Please refer to the product description for care and handling instructions specific to your purchase. For garments: dry clean or spot clean unless otherwise noted; do not machine wash. For fine art: keep away from direct sunlight and humidity; handle with clean, dry hands or cotton gloves. For digital products and publications: no physical care required; download and archive your files upon receipt.
Design
Every Stacy Stewart Smith piece begins as a drawing and ends as a decision — a deliberate choice of textile, construction method, and proportion made by a single designer with five decades of practice. The same eye that composes a painting composes a coat: line, weight, negative space, and the relationship between form and the body that inhabits it. Garments are produced in New York City, one at a time, to the measurements and preferences of the individual client. No two pieces are identical. No production run exists. This is not manufacturing — it is making.
The atelier sources textiles for their hand, weight, and longevity. Sustainability here is not a campaign. It is the natural consequence of making only what is wanted, from materials chosen to last, by a craftsman who will not put his name on anything less.