I encountered the work of Steve Hawley through a profile in Image Journal and have recently re-connected with his work through his 2016 book 'Waiting at the Station'.
Since the 1970s Hawley has been exhibiting paintings widely throughout the United States and abroad. His paintings are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the De Cordova Museum and Sculpture Park, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, among many others. His work is featured in a number of important books including American Realism (Abrams, 1994); The Crucifixion In American Art (McFarland, 2003); Who's Who In American Art (Bowker, 1986), Art Today (Phaidon, 1999); Descent: New Testament Series (Phaidon, 2000); 100 Boston Painters (Schiffer, 2012).
He has been the recipient of the Alternate Fullbright-Hays Full Grant in Painting to Italy, the Individual Artist Grant (Artists Foundation), and grants from the Massachusetts Arts and Humanities Foundation. His work has been written about widely in publications such as the New York Times, American Art Now, the Japan Times, and elsewhere.
Born in Brooklyn in 1950, Hawley received his diploma and graduate diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. After graduation, he went on to become an instructor at the Museum School as well as an instructor in painting and drawing at Tufts University. He was also a visiting artist at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He now lives and works in Newburyport, MA. He draws upon his extensive art education from various institutions. His first-hand lessons from influential figures such as Henry Schwartz and his deep religious faith further help him create stunning works of art from still lifes to landscapes.He has forged an enduring life informed by the arts, ethics, independence, and religion.
Born in Brooklyn in 1950, Hawley received his diploma and graduate diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. After graduation, he went on to become an instructor at the Museum School as well as an instructor in painting and drawing at Tufts University. He was also a visiting artist at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He now lives and works in Newburyport, MA. He draws upon his extensive art education from various institutions. His first-hand lessons from influential figures such as Henry Schwartz and his deep religious faith further help him create stunning works of art from still lifes to landscapes.He has forged an enduring life informed by the arts, ethics, independence, and religion.
Hawley developed a unique painting technique by using very thin layers of oil paint, wax, and alkyd resin to create detailed, glowing images. He spends many months on one painting, building up layers of color and glaze to create images that show mysterious and often haunting worlds.
He creates expressive still lifes and interiors, and often incorporates images of his own paintings and sketches into the compositions. He has said that: “The paintings within paintings represent the multiple stages of reality. I’m fascinated with the interplay of the physical and the spiritual, the classical and the abstract, the past and the present.” An example is Root of Jesse, which has a jagged piece of paper showing a crucifix appearing taped to the wall behind a table of fruit. Hawley does not consider his work to be devotional, but uses symbols like the crucifix to “explore and resolve” his personal questions about Christianity. The detailed image of the fruit reflected in the shiny tabletop creates a sense of stillness that contrasts with the passion and vigor expressed by the painting in the background.
He creates expressive still lifes and interiors, and often incorporates images of his own paintings and sketches into the compositions. He has said that: “The paintings within paintings represent the multiple stages of reality. I’m fascinated with the interplay of the physical and the spiritual, the classical and the abstract, the past and the present.” An example is Root of Jesse, which has a jagged piece of paper showing a crucifix appearing taped to the wall behind a table of fruit. Hawley does not consider his work to be devotional, but uses symbols like the crucifix to “explore and resolve” his personal questions about Christianity. The detailed image of the fruit reflected in the shiny tabletop creates a sense of stillness that contrasts with the passion and vigor expressed by the painting in the background.
In 2018 'Steve Hawley: Studio Light' was the first survey of his work with a museum. 37 paintings curated by Katherine French were shown at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. A fully illustrated catalog accompanies the exhibition. Michael Mansfield, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Ogunquit Museum of American Art, said that: "Hawley is a remarkably skilled painter. I've been fortunate to work with both the artist and our guest curator to bring together his finest works from across the country." The exhibition reunited a series of studio paintings of immense personal significance, a remarkable array of still lifes, and an inspired grouping of abstract seascapes, each ranging from the 1980s to the present.
The Stations of the Cross are well known but in 1991 Pope John Paul II initiated a revised version of The Stations of the Cross using only biblical texts. He called this new version “The Way of the Cross".
Based on “The Way of the Cross” Hawley, and Michael Kelly Blanchard collaborated on a visual/aural contemplative experience, called 'Waiting at the Station'. Hawley painted 14 canvases and Blanchard wrote 14 songs, one for each of the “stations”. 'Waiting at the Station' is intended as a spiritual springboard, allowing song and visual art to help expand the timeless soul benefits of remembering our Lord’s passion.
Released during the Jubilee Year of Mercy 2016, this artful and inspiring 52-page, full-color book is well-summarized by its sub-title: Meditations on the Mysteries of the Stations of the Cross. The essence of each of these original fourteen meditations is captured in the words offered by Pope John Paul II when he led the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday in the year 2000: '... we are convinced that the Way of the Cross of the Son of God was not simply a journey to the place of execution. We believe that every step of the Condemned Christ, every action and every word, as well as everything felt and done by those who took part in this tragic drama, continues to speak to us.'
First offered as a book with beautiful renditions of the paintings, texts and song lyrics, a DVD has also been created so the songs can be heard and the paintings explored in a deeper and almost magical way.
First offered as a book with beautiful renditions of the paintings, texts and song lyrics, a DVD has also been created so the songs can be heard and the paintings explored in a deeper and almost magical way.
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'Waiting at the Station' - Station 4: I Told Myself.
