Stew is known for his Japanese inspired artworks with Samurais, birds and flowers and his unique way of combining his graphics.
Stew (Les Lilas, Paris, 1978) works and lives in Vitry Sur Seine, France. In this village, which is close to Paris and known for its street art, the streets are filled with artworks from Stew. A walk through the centre gives you a good idea of Stew his oeuvre.
Already since a little kid, Stew was busy creating art. In his earlier career he painted a lot of graffiti. Throughout the years he developed a style which is more related to street art. Figures such as the Samurais are popping- up in his works. In terms of style these Japanese figures can be related to comic books, and their faces always disappear in a typical blue color.
Stew developed a unique and recognizable style. He combines his knowledge of being a graphic designer with his artistic inspiration and influences from nature, Japan, and his passion for collecting stamps. By using the collage technique everything falls in place in a harmonious image.
Stew uses different techniques and materials. He creates paste- ups, he makes stencils but he also works free hand.
The fame of Stew being an muralist resulted in some spectacular projects. For Tour Paris 13 he made a mural in black- and white (see image above). In 2014 he created the mural ‘Héron bleuté’ which has a tremendous scale of 52 x 14 meters. This mural is in 13ème arrondissement de Paris for Galerie Itinérance. Sixty hours of painting gave it’s well respected reward.
Besides his murals, Stew also knows how to represent his work indoors. In 2013, for the Tour Paris 13 in apartment 952, Stew made this interesting all-over installation.
His recognition of being an artist resulted in several shows. In 2014 his works were shown in a solo show called ‘Welcome on Bird’ in Gallery Daeppen in Basel, Switzerland. In 2013 he was part of several groupshows in Paris like ‘LE HERON BLEUTE’, ‘Tour Paris 13’, ‘Techno Parade’ and ‘STENCIL BASTARD 2’ in Zurich, Switzerland.
For streetart.com Stew made a print-screen with one of his familiar Japanese figures in it. We see a Japanese woman, erotic but also tough by her glasses and tattoo. The kimono she wears contains the typical ornaments that can be related to Stew his other works. In the background we see a large signature of Stew in red.
Stew hand finished this series of 12 artworks with drops of red paint. Therefore each work is unique and handmade. All works are signed, numbered and come with a certificate of authenticity.