I once thought that the story of my first “career” as a painter would get easier to tell as I got older, but that has not proved to be the case. Whether I look at it chronologically, or through the prism of the various stylistic phases I went through, it remains a a story of young man trapped on a island of his own making.  It was all done in a vacuum, with little contact from other creative people and no contact with art establishment. And while I can look back and be proud of much of the work,  I am also proud to say that those years ended consciously, with a clear decision to stop, reprioritize, and begin again when ready. I just didn’t think it would be 25 years.

Eventually, I will write my story of late 1980 till mid 1989, a time when I so optimistically chased both beauty and expression. But for now, here are the paintings broken down by creative category. Telling the story chronologically will wait for another day.  Explore and Enjoy. MJS

MJ Stumpf, 1983 (Image: Child Crying in the Corner of New York, 1981)

Active Randomness
Early Ascending Colors
Illustratives
Expressives
Landscape Impressions
Late Ascending Colors
Portraits
Places
Statements
The Surrealist Journey