Stephan Geissbuhler Born in Switzerland, Stefan Geissbühler now paints from his studio in Lakewood, Colorado and has worked as a full-time professional artist since 1992. His vibrant and colorful expressionistic paintings have received several awards, including most recently first place in the Third Annual Art/Literary Competition and publication in a feature article in the spring 2007 edition of Sculptural Pursuit magazine, the Juror’s Award at the Castle Rock Art Fest (CO) and third place in the Indian Wells Art Festival (CA).

Geissbühler’s commissioned paintings can be found in corporate collections, such as the Hotel Allegro Grand Casino Kursaal Bern, Casino Kursaal Interlaken and Kunstsammlung Unterseen in Switzerland. His artwork has also been commissioned to grace music CD covers for AAM Recordings and Denver radio station Smooth Jazz (104.3). His paintings are collected by private collectors in the USA and Europe.

Geissbühler has been invited to participate in many solo and group exhibitions in Switzerland, such as the Stadthaus Galerie KSU, and in the USA, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Fort Collins (CO), an invitational exhibition at the Republic Plaza building in downtown Denver (CO), and the Lapis Gallery in Denver (CO). His work is also represented by several galleries, including Romero Street Gallery in Old Town Albuquerque (NM) and in the Stadthaus Galerie KSU in Interlaken, Switzerland. Geissbühler also sells his work at some of the finest juried art festivals, including Downtown Aspen (CO), Cottonwood (TX), Port Clinton (IL) and La Quinta (CA).

Artist Statement

My paintings are created from memory and my imagination, focusing on the movement, mood, and personality of a subject. Using abstraction and bright, unconventional color palettes, I encourage the viewer to draw images and emotions from their own memories and imagination.

Stiff spackle knives are my tools of choice, allowing me to lay down the paint in dimension-full patches. I apply a medium-dark value first on primed Masonite to provide a backdrop and then sketch in outlines to create a silhouette of the subject that peeks through the top layers.

To finish the painting, I then layer colors, sometimes with the addition of a gel medium to add depth and translucency, or a lightweight sand to add texture and dramatic tension. My signature framing, using four aluminum cylinders to float the painting over a large ebony-stained oak panel, lends an additional dimension and richness to my artwork.