The Beginning Painting

The often sensual themes present in Stephen Babcock’s creations derive from the artist’s fascination with the feminine form and the mysterious obscurities of letters, numbers & time. He is intrigued by artifacts and techniques used in early filmmaking and uses copper & gold leafing to pull light through his works which range from life size images of vintage motorcycles to illuminated ‘feminine icons’ (think angelic Ziegfeld girls). Using paint, digital photographs, and found objects, Babcock breathes fresh life into what he calls, ‘the hidden beauty of: evidence of time,’ “I watch Time carve it’s signature into metal, wood, stone… and it gets my creative process started… I like studying the signs of age, wear & tear, depleting permanence; things that allude to a story that’s been in process for quite some time… I then try to modify it with a “what if…” That’s what’s behind all of my art, suggesting “there’s more here than you see, the whole is greater than the sum.” Babcock finds inspiration in: the sensuality of Gil Elvgren and Robert McGinnis, the directness of Ed Ruscha, the illuminations of Alfred Cheney Johnston and the complexity of Handiedan.