About STEFEN

STEFEN is a primarily self-taught artist and muralist living and working in the Bay Area (Berkeley) since 1974, when at the age of 27 he did his first "hit" mural, known as the "Dutch Boy Mural" on the side of the Dutch Boy Paint Store in downtown Berkeley, Milvia St. at University Ave. The mural, received as a "sign" of hope and peace, and depicting the San Francisco Bay as seen from the Berkeley Hills, was up for three years when the property changed hands and a restauranteur (Au Coquelet) felt obliged to spray out the mural during the night, due to other ideas for his restaurant, and due to the city's seismic-retrofitting requirement. STEFEN has completed well over 100 public, business, and private murals, exterior and interior, since that time, mainly in Berkeley, Oakland, Montclair, San Francisco, Hayward, Alameda, Albany, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Richmond, Pinole, Orinda, and Martinez, plus Placerville (CA), Nevada, and Washington States. His murals have given rise to a new type of mural painting, and since 1974, the revived "mural movement" along with new technologies has spread far and beyond.

Working mainly in acrylic/laytex house paints, he strives to visually bring nature back into urban environments by painting realistic, "trompe-l"oeil" three-dimensional and illusionary images with touches of humor, pun, and surrealism, and by softening and embellishing otherwise blighted neighborhoods and blank walls. The terms "visionary realism" and "murealism" have been used to describe his work. Landscapes, usually of recognizable local areas, are often the basis for his murals.

Earlier, starting in 1969, after obtaining a BA in languages (French and Spanish) STEFEN started serious original canvas oil painting while at the University of Oregon in Eugene. One year later he traveled to Paris, France, where he lived for three years as an artist continuing to paint independently and in connection with the Ecole des Beaux Arts of Paris, while traveling through-out Europe to experience first hand much of the best of the art world. While in Paris, STEFEN worked for the American Library in Paris and translated with Alwin Nikolai's Dance-Theatre and Bob Wilson's Byrd Hoffman's School Byrds Dance-Theatre. Even earlier, in the 50's and 60's, he learned and did art and painting throughout childhood and high school in Winnemucca, Nevada, earning numerous best-of State awards.

Another recent project STEFEN completed is the Pinole Centennial Mural, "100 Years of Railroad History," commemorating visually the City of Pinole's past, located on Tennent Ave. under the BN-SF Railroad crossing. The previous year 2002 he completed a mural in connection with the Urban Creeks Council and BEA FEW Foundation on the wall of a San Pablo Ave. transmission shop which is adjacent to a soon-to-be open-creek mini-park between Berkeley and Albany on Kains Ave. Other large scale highly visible murals include Pinole's City Hall Parking Area (1999), Thornhill Pet Hospital in Montclair (1997-99), and various other pet hospitals: Dr. Foor Paws in El Cerrito (1994), Park Centre in Alameda (1995), Broadway Pet Hospital in Oakland (1997), Dimond Pet Clinic, interior and exterior, on McArthur Blvd. in Oakland (1998), and Pinole Pet Hospital on San Pablo Ave. in Pinole (1998).

In addition to murals, STEFEN has worked in watercolors, drawing, pastels, mosaics, poster art, and later fresco. He has sometimes done mural-signs, decorative house painting, faux-finishing and other specialized wall coverings. He has, of course, a portfolio of drawings and cartoons (mural designs) that can be seen on request, posters for various events and organizations, book covers and book illustrations, plus a whole series of beer bottle labels for the Yeast Bay Brewery's home-brews, which are specially editioned for political and commemorative value. His "political" artwork consists of such labels, colorful signs, flyers and buttons for numerous Bay Area/Berkeley politicians, including California Assembly Members and Mayors Loni Hancock and Tom Bates; Don Jelinek, and Kriss Worthingtion. Many Bay Area newspapers and magazines have featured STEFEN's work throughout the years.

Starting in 2000 STEFEN has appeared regularly as "Bishop Berkeley" (Berkeley's namesake), in the "How Berkeley Can You Be?" Parades and in the 2003 special 125th anniversary events of the City of Berkeley. Stefen was born on philosopher and educator, Bishop George Berkeley's (1685-1753) birthday, March 12, 1947. STEFEN's birthright to play the Bishop has brought him into association and volunteer work with the Berkeley Historical Society (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/) and other civic associations. Also he has joined in the efforts to restore the lost second grand valley of Yosemite National Park, Hetch Hetchy Valley (www.hetchhetchy.org); Restore Hetch Hetch Valley plans are underway for a mega-mural in a strategically key location to help promote the idea. See www.hetchhetchy.org.

A full visual gallery of STEFEN's works can be seen at www.stefenart.com, the home page of this site.