ABOUT STEPHEN

Kladder sculpts the canvas with textured mediums, brush strokes and gestures using a palette knife and other tools. Color, texture and motion move inspiration found in nature onto the canvas. Semi-surreal landscape taken to the edges of abstract expressionism engage perspective, vanishing points, detail and panorama. Color is used to express emotional responses to organic geometry found within  lines of perspectives and vanishing points. Kladder instills a sense of motion into his paintings encouraging the viewer to feel the motion as a counterpoint to the static texture of the piece, drawing the viewer into the wonder of landscape, both the physical and our inner, esoteric landscapes that we take with us as we engage with the surrounding landscapes we are a part of.

Kladder studied for six years with the Artists and Art Instructors Pamela Lanza and Glenn Hirsch in the fine arts programs at both the San Francisco Art Institute and UC Berkeley San Francisco Extension.