Stephen Gardner

In 1989, Stephen Gardner moved from England to New York to further both his education and his career. His first course of action was to join the Society of Illustrators. The Unforgiven poster, is now a part of the Society of Illustrators’ permanent collection.

In the pursuit of his MFA he started to create a new body of work based on NYC Bars. Coming from England, he has always had a tremendous affection for old taverns and bars. Now he’s as likely to be holding a paintbrush as a pint, whenever he is in one, and finds it both challenging and rewarding to capture their atmosphere through his work. Gardner is an active member of the Society’s Air Force Art Programs. Since earning his MFA, he is an adjunct professor at New Jersey City University and The Fashion Institute of Technology.

“When I was asked to participate in the Love a Vet program and was asked to illustrate the Ace of Spades I knew that I wanted to make a strong dramatic statement, he said. I think of the aces as the trump cards, and I regard the nuclear threat as the trump card in any war - a nuclear mushroom cloud is the last thing that any sane person would ever want to see.” The artist’s atomic cloud is palpable in this piece, its acid yellow/green palette a disastrous indicator of the potential outcome of war.

Gardner resides in Brooklyn with his wife, fellow artist Angela Martin, whose art is also on view.