Stacy Cantrell Art

Meet Stephen Brunelli from Providence, Rhode Island. He is a painter. His style is not abstract, but narrative representational. He uses brightly colored acrylics to tell a story through his paintings. Stephen is a self-taught, natural born artist and began with drawing, coloring and moved to painting in high school. He went to Pittsburgh for film, but went back to painting as this was his true calling. Stephen’s been painting for about 20 years and it’s his joy. His paintings are never macabre or dark, and his subjects are positive and emotional. 

Often, there is some type of relationship story within his painting narratives. The large painting down below, he describes is his sister and him. Of course they are representational. His older sister was a huge influence on his beginnings as an artist. She knew a lot about music and art and this was the encouragement he needed to explore. If you notice the cowboy boots Stephen is wearing in the painting, he explains that when a family member sees this painting, they will know that it is him. He had these boots as a child and loved them and wore them everywhere, even with his ‘feety pajamas’. The boots have appeared in other paintings and is sort of a hidden, depictive self-portrait.

Stephen has another unique aspect to his work…he often takes parts of his paintings, cuts them and sews them into his other paintings. It repurposes wanted parts of paintings which he felt didn’t work in the original piece. He recycles his own work in this way and he doesn’t have to recreate an element that is the right fit. 

Stephen came to the residency with ideas and images he wants to do. His goal is to paint ‘big’. He typically paints 16 X 20 inches so he is surpassing that and not conforming to the size of his customary canvass. 

Back in Rhode Island, Stephen sells is his work on the street, coffee shops, shows and he is part of a co-op. Please check Stephen’s work on his Instagram.