Stavast Studio Gallery - Originals Page 5

"Blue Water Dance " Oil 18 x 24

The time is right for
pulsing light to take a partnered step
with moving waves
hand and arm they glide return repeat

blue water dance

right in time

for partners chance

to show their thoughtful rhythm

for soon the lighted noon

will prove its moves and light another stage

and leave a partner wanting

Stephen Stavast

From the collection
of:
Dr. Peter and Theresa Truong

"Tranquil Harbor" Oil 18 x 36

Proud and arrogant
a self centered waif
has found a home
amongst a stoic crowd

for here this stranger
stands alone unlike the others

suspended
floating above the world below
it rules the day
a magic act it seems has come
to captivate this tranquil harbor
but this will pass just like the others

who come along

in seasons fall

and disappear without applause

Stephen Stavast

From the collection
of:
Denna Millhollin

"Spiral Staircase" Oil 22 x 28

Above the low
the low above

in proof of both
in shadows glove

a perfect fit
at hand the treads of spiral staircase

from flight to flight of fancy
peace-filled eyes will find a landing
before a step is taken.

Stephen Stavast

"Peripheral Currents" Oil 24x 30

Playful animation

lighted proof

as clear as crystal surface moves
attenuate to quiet corners

peripheral current has no surface seen

yet through its stronger moves
we see its truth

we hear its quiet story
told from meaningful distortions

a memory brought to eyes

embellished further
each time it told this storytellers prize

Stephen Stavast

From the collection
of:
David & Barbara Snodgrass

"Reflections on a Gray Day" Oil 16 x 20

Rocks with sky
gray day without a drop of sun

yet here within the rocks themselves
are scenes of cloudy skies

slight imagination and back again
to the real world depiction

sky as seen lighting the waters surface

transparency reveals the shallow bottom

a leaf in its brilliance brings the eyes
to a starting place
from which the journey has most likely now begun

Stephen Stavast

From the collection
of:
Karin Landgrabe

"A Stavast Trout"

Pictured here
a fish I caught
in my imagination

just before it darts off

in the words of many fishermen’s
pedantic fish school teachings

for it’s not for reel
I angle for
but the allure of wanted prize

A Stavast Trout before the lurch
before it disappears
before your eyes

Stephen Stavast

From the collection
of:
Karin Landgrabe

"On Stable Ground" Oil 54 x 72

Black stone and granite intersect
on stable ground

grays and muted hues dot this spotted menagerie
here transient pieces come and go

deposits from on high
carried by the wind or merely fall
from branches neigh

rest with others brought and tumbled
in high-water season

none will leave their mark on this
black and white foundation

but balance now
a scene as seen
of fleeting memory

Stephen Stavast

"Fall Leaves" Oil 36 x 48

Fall leaves bask in the autumn sun

shadows cast the story

a memoir to a glance

a studied chance

along the path that few have taken

a thousand words explain this simple scene

with feeling not forsaken

yet readers have a picture each their own

so I write in paint a memory honed

from slow and careful study

Stephen Stavast

"Petoskey Find" Oil 24 x 18

Peaceful Canyon

Sun fills small canyons

shadows and reflected lights abound

suggesting a larger volume

yet nothing gives a sense of scale

as life and experience

it is what it is

and here the referendum

awaiting the public voice to echo

through these hardened walls

and opt for peace

Stephen Stavast

"Spring Lights" Oil 36 x 48

"Sticks and Stones" Oil 48 x 48

Sticks and stones will break my bones
but names will never hurt me

for thoughts like these
will surely please

as pictures paint a thousand words
incongruous
sarcastic
succinct

and here a pictue brought to view
from thoughts
like this I know

Stephen Stavast