Finding the Surface: Painting and Carving on Wood
A Solo Show of Recent Work By Stephen Klassen
Opening: May Sixth From 6-9 PM

Stephen Klassen is an artist whose practice combines painting with carving in wood. His abstract work ranges from shallow relief wall pieces to freestanding sculpture.

Klassen received his Masters of Fine Arts degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) in 2009. A resident of Washington State for 20 years, Klassen moved to Minneapolis to attend MCAD. He earned his BA from The Evergreen State College in Olympia WA, where he studied painting and history. As a graduate student, Klassen built on the painting practice he had established in the Pacific Northwest, and increasingly integrated carving and wooden supports into his art process. During his time at MCAD, he was nominated for a prestigious Joan Mitchell Foundation grant.

Klassen is currently employed as an adjunct Professor of painting at MCAD. He lives and maintains his studio in South Minneapolis. In addition to Minnesota, Klassen has shown his work in Chicago and throughout the Pacific Northwest.