When he is painting, Joel Stewart says that he watches "what is happening right in front of my eyes. I'm making an image, and I reach a fork in the road. Shall I pull back to my original conception, or follow the new direction, which may lead to disaster?" If it is disaster, he is philosophical about it. "You get some winners, some losers. Some you stick in a drawer and don't look at for a while. If I get a disaster, I didn't try enough."
Spontaneity surges through his art. "I am open to the possibilities that happen after I begin a painting or a print," he said. "You can control only so much, and the rest you have to let go. I am always interested to see what I am going to come up with."
A color intaglio print of his, entitled "Echoes," was chosen for the catalog cover of this year's CWAJ Print Show. This is the 47th annual event of its kind presented by the College Women's Association of Japan. The show exhibits new work of contemporary artists, and from sales raises funds for CWAJ scholarship awards. Joel says of his fanciful print "Echoes" that he ws hoping to achieve something soulful. "Maybe something bittersweet," he added, "with a little hope thrown in."