Stefanie Eins: “Miniature Works from the African Desert”
Viridian Artists is pleased to present Stefanie Eins’ “Miniature Works from the African Desert”, her first solo exhibition with the gallery. On view from May 16 through June 8, the exhibit will feature miniature paintings and drawings by the artist which she created in Namibia, Africa.
Unlike most art exhibits you will see in New York City, Stefanie Eins’ first solo exhibit at Viridian consists primarily of miniature drawings and paintings that she completed over the last twenty-five years. Many will wonder why her art is so small, but the reason is simply that she has been living in the semi-desert of the Namib in Southern Africa in the state of Namibia during the years the works were created and sometimes, as in this case, smaller is bigger!
The small paintings, created since 1993, are filled with color created through a slow, laborious process of layering oil paint in abstract shapes and spaces with the theme being simply the power of color and pure form. A fascination with color and the abstract spaces created with light and shadow in the endless environment of the African desert are among the many sources of her inspiration. Growing up in Germany and then living 20 years in Switzerland created for the artist a sense of life as a traveler, absorbing her surroundings and gathering memorabilia to incorporate into her art; found stamps, tickets, and fragments from nature.
Together with the small painted works, Eins is presenting two series of drawings. From 2000 to 2012, her lines only hint at the total picture, leaving just clues to the scene’s whole. Incorporating collage elements of pressed eucalyptus and olive leaves half-covered with transparent paper, the drawings hint at life conserved. Her mother’s passing during that time gives a sense of sadness to many of the pieces in this series of works.
The drawings that Stefanie created from 2013 to 2024, were made with a more intuitive approach. Rather than thinking ahead as she drew, the artist would instead let the work emerge intuitively and then analyze it later. During this time, she also experimented with a sewing machine using it as her tool for drawing. Most of these 20 collaged works are also limited in size along with four larger lino prints made in 2022 that are part of a series of 21.
Stefanie has exhibited her art extensively throughout Switzerland, Germany and Africa. The noted curator Gabriele Obrist wrote about Stefanie’s large format art saying “Envision rectangles, each distinct in size and delineated by strokes of varying boldness- some solid, others mere outlines. These shapes coalesce into intricate compositions, reminiscent at times of the luminous allure of stained-glass windows, or, in a fleeting change of perspective, the enigmatic depths of archaeological sites viewed from above. The abstract nature of these forms is a canvas for the mind, inviting a myriad of associations. They act as portals, guiding us through the corridors of memory and the vast expanses of our imagination.”
Viridian Artists looks forward to sharing this wonderful exhibit with you.
Gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12–6pm
For further information please contact: Vernita Nemec, Gallery Director
or Jenny Belin, Assistant Director at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com
visit us on Instagram @viridianartistsinc and see us on Facebook & YouTube at Viridian Artists Gallery
Unlike most art exhibits you will see in New York City, Stefanie Eins’ first solo exhibit at Viridian consists primarily of miniature drawings and paintings that she completed over the last twenty-five years. Many will wonder why her art is so small, but the reason is simply that she has been living in the semi-desert of the Namib in Southern Africa in the state of Namibia during the years the works were created and sometimes, as in this case, smaller is bigger!
The small paintings, created since 1993, are filled with color created through a slow, laborious process of layering oil paint in abstract shapes and spaces with the theme being simply the power of color and pure form. A fascination with color and the abstract spaces created with light and shadow in the endless environment of the African desert are among the many sources of her inspiration. Growing up in Germany and then living 20 years in Switzerland created for the artist a sense of life as a traveler, absorbing her surroundings and gathering memorabilia to incorporate into her art; found stamps, tickets, and fragments from nature.
Together with the small painted works, Eins is presenting two series of drawings. From 2000 to 2012, her lines only hint at the total picture, leaving just clues to the scene’s whole. Incorporating collage elements of pressed eucalyptus and olive leaves half-covered with transparent paper, the drawings hint at life conserved. Her mother’s passing during that time gives a sense of sadness to many of the pieces in this series of works.
The drawings that Stefanie created from 2013 to 2024, were made with a more intuitive approach. Rather than thinking ahead as she drew, the artist would instead let the work emerge intuitively and then analyze it later. During this time, she also experimented with a sewing machine using it as her tool for drawing. Most of these 20 collaged works are also limited in size along with four larger lino prints made in 2022 that are part of a series of 21.
Stefanie has exhibited her art extensively throughout Switzerland, Germany and Africa. The noted curator Gabriele Obrist wrote about Stefanie’s large format art saying “Envision rectangles, each distinct in size and delineated by strokes of varying boldness- some solid, others mere outlines. These shapes coalesce into intricate compositions, reminiscent at times of the luminous allure of stained-glass windows, or, in a fleeting change of perspective, the enigmatic depths of archaeological sites viewed from above. The abstract nature of these forms is a canvas for the mind, inviting a myriad of associations. They act as portals, guiding us through the corridors of memory and the vast expanses of our imagination.”
Viridian Artists looks forward to sharing this wonderful exhibit with you.
Gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12–6pm
For further information please contact: Vernita Nemec, Gallery Director
or Jenny Belin, Assistant Director at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com
visit us on Instagram @viridianartistsinc and see us on Facebook & YouTube at Viridian Artists Gallery
