Sanctuary of Dreams: Week Three Painting by Stacy Stewart Smith
Sanctuary of Dreams: Week Three Painting by Stacy Stewart Smith
Description
Sanctuary of Dreams: Week Three
In 2004, Stacy Stewart Smith fell asleep on the Q train crossing the Manhattan Bridge and woke up with a series. Sanctuary of Dreams: Week Three is one of seven shadow box works from that series — exhibited at Gallery Guichard in Chicago and the Stacy Stewart Smith Gallery in Brooklyn, reviewed in NY ARTS Magazine, and now the one remaining in the artist’s possession. Three sold. Three went missing. This is here.
A view from the New York City subway Q line over the Manhattan Bridge is painted on canvas in acrylic gesso and graphite. A Plexiglas box is placed over it. Smith mimics the feeling of falling asleep on the train and daydreaming as he crosses the East River into Brooklyn — through glimpses of raindrops on the subway car window and scratchiti on the glass, a vision is conjured in the state between awake and sleep.
The Plexiglas has been etched with the image of an inner-city youth — likely the memory reflection of someone on the train. But who is the other figure behind him? Is this an angelic being? The entire scene is left to the viewer. As Smith says: “You are welcomed into my dreams.”
A magnifying plate skews and distorts the painting beneath. Light, shadows, and reflections play upon the canvas, creating a grayscale reality through the artist’s visualization of his subconscious. The key theme of the Sanctuary series is World Peace — rooted in biblical prophecy, expressed through the language of the street.
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”
- One of two remaining works from the original seven-piece installation
Medium & Dimensions
- Acrylic gesso and graphite on canvas
- Acrylic magnifying glass and Plexiglas box with scratchiti etchings
- 10.75” × 14.5” × 3.25”
- Year: 2004
- 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.