Archive of the Mendocino Heritage Artists
Stevenson/Leach Studios: Paris, London, New York, Mendocino
In the years between 1989 and 1998 I had the honor of working with Charles Stevenson, first as an apprentice and then as his business partner in fine art. He had been looking for a young artist to whom to pass on his philosophy, his skills, and knowledge about painting, and I had been wanting to learn painting from a master. We formed Stevenson/Leach Studios, we painted together and as they say…the rest is history. – Matt Leach, Mendocino (November 8, 2009)
see Charles Marchant Stevenson & Matt Leach: Paris 1991.
Screens by Stevenson/Leach Studios
Stevenson/Leach Studios created a series of large double-sided folding screens, unique in the beauty of the paintings, and in the innovative crafting of the screens themselves.
In addition to the screens pictured here, there are other Stevenson/Leach screens for which we have no photos. Of those screens, we have titles for two: Ode to Monet and Mendocino Sunset/Moonrise (Poppies), sold together to a private collector. In addition, two screens were created for the original Gloriana Opera Company production of Cinderella, and sold or auctioned at a benefit. We’re looking for photos of those screens, and any other screens Stevenson/Leach might have created. If you have photos or information, please contact us. Thank you.
Mendocino Afterglow
Of all the beautiful portraits of Mendocino ever done, this magnificent screen by Stevenson/Leach Studios is the very finest. While style and the palette are reminiscent of Maxfield Parrish, this piece transcends Parrish, its beauty suffused with memory and love. Mendocino Afterglow is the Mendocino of the heart.
The image was designed by Matt Leach, and painted (on both sides of the screen) by Stevenson and Leach working together. The image is identical on the reverse.
Mendocino Afterglow won first place in The Artists’ Magazine international landscape competition (1995).
For the Mendocino Afterglow screen, acrylic paint was used on gessoed cheesecloth applied to three wood panels, each seven feet high by thirty-three inches wide.
The screen (84” x 99”), designed and constructed by Matt Leach, has brass fittings designed for easy assembly and disassembly, for transport or display of individual panels.
Hexagram 64: Wei Chi: Feline Deliberation
Hexagram 64: Wei Chi relates to that short period of time preceding success.
The three panel screen, Feline Deliberation, is a monumental double-sided portrait of Matt Leach’s orange tabby.
Hexagram 64: Wei Chi: Feline Deliberation (detail)
The reverse offers two smaller images of the same marmalade tabby on a wall shaded by summer foliage.
Feline Deliberation (reverse)
Feline Deliberation, one of a small number of double-sided folding screens created by Leach and Stevenson, is designed by Matt Leach for easy disassembly, for transport, or for display of individual panels.
Photographing Feline Deliberation
Dawn on Big River
The vantage is high above Big River southeast of Mendocino village. The reverse image is similar, but not identical. It is one of a small number of large double-sided folding screens created by Stevenson/Leach Studios.
Dawn on Big River (reverse)
The Archive needs better photos of Dawn on Big River. If you have any to share, please contact us. Thank you.
LINKS
Stevenson and Leach in Paris
Matt Leach: Artwork
Matt Leach by Charles Marchant Stevenson
Charles Marchant Stevenson: Artwork
Stevenson in His Own Words
About Charles Marchant Stevenson
Mendocino Heritage Artists
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