In his paintings and drawings, Eric Stewart (b. 1990) develops detailed renderings of an eclectic collection of source imagery that blur the line between fantasy and reality. Themes in his work range from art history to archival photographs of agricultural technology from the 1900s. His portrait work emphasizes subtle expressions of posture and mood. Recently, Stewart’s subject matter has focused on portraits of hip hop artists and rappers. 

 

Beyond his compositions on paper, Stewart has published three comic books: Spinner on the Block, Bear in the Hood and No Turnin’ Back. The latter is “a story about a 12-year-old Hamilton, a troubled boy who has been abused by his mother and gets caught in a drug gang.” 

 

Stewart worked out of Oasis studio in Philadelphia until 2014, when he joined Center for Creative Works. In 2019 he hung his first solo exhibition at South Philadelphia’s Green Line Café, a show featuring paintings of hip hop artists. His work has been exhibited at Fleisher/Ollman, Philadelphia Magic Gardens, Art at Kings Oaks, and the Rhode Island Outsider Art Fair.