My work begins with glue—a humble, binding agent that becomes the foundation for transformation.
Through layering, adhesion, and accumulation, I construct surfaces that oscillate between fragility and permanence.
Each stratum is a record of time, a sediment of intention, where transparency and opacity negotiate space.
The process is meditative yet disruptive: glue as skin, as membrane, as architecture.
It resists and accepts, creating tension between control and chance.
These layers are not merely physical—they are metaphors for memory, for the unseen structures that hold us together and pull us apart.
Influenced by Rothko’s pursuit of the sublime, I seek depth not through color alone but through material density and spatial ambiguity.
My compositions invite immersion, asking the viewer to linger in the voids, to feel the weight of silence pressed between layers.
They are fields of presence—quiet, yet vibrating with the possibility of collapse.
Ultimately, my art is an inquiry into what binds and what breaks, what remains and what dissolves.
It is less about image and more about essence: the unseen architecture of connection.
MY PROCESS
I begin by selecting the title from random phrases I have clipped out of newspapers and magazines.
Based on the phrase, I create a playlist of music. I select music from all genres, and in all languges. I focus songs and music that provides me the emotional story behind the phrase I selected.
Next, I sketch (sometimes). Often only in blue ink.
Then, I select my materials and colors.
Primarily, I work with translucent glue, white school glue, mod-podge, and hot glue.
In my most recent work, I have been exploring other non-conventional materials such as spray foams and wall papers.
With those items prepared, I begin painting.
Paintings are assembled through the combination of layers of glue with acrylic paints.
Each layer's drying time can vary between 3 to 12 hours.
Each painting may have 15 to 30 separate layers.
A considerable amount of time is invested in mentally planning and preparing each layer before it is painted.
This time is spent examining the previous layers to discover what the next layer wants to be - searching for those small moments of divine inspriation.
Layer upon layer, a painting comes into existence.
When is a painting done?
I get asked that a lot.
Short answer: when it feels done.
Longer Answer: when I'm able to tell the emotional story of the painting in words.
I complete each major piece of work with an "original to the piece" poem or work of prose.
CURRENT HAPPENINGS
Artist Open Studio - Collection and Studio open
Saturday, June 6th, 2026 - 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
The Studio Door - Studio Artist & Gallery
3867 4th Avenue, Hillcrest - San Diego, CA
Oceans Love Group Exhibition - Opening Reception
Saturday, June 12th, 2026 - 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
East County Art Association - Gallery
124 East Main Street, El Cajon, CA
9th Annual Proud+ - Opening Reception
Saturday, July 11th, 2026 - 6:00 pm to 9:00 PM
The Studio Door - Studio Artist & Gallery
3867 4th Avenue, Hillcrest - San Diego, CA
RESIDENCIES
MADE Creatives in Residence - March 15th, 2026 to April 15, 2026
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico
RECENT EXHIBITIONS
"baseless claims
"up for grabs"
The Moment is Now Group Show
Art of Pride Gallery @ San Diego Pride, San Diego, CA - January to March 2026
"once upon a time"
Mardi Gras Group Show
The Gallery @ East County Art Association, El Cajon, CA - February 2026
"romantic gestures"
14th Annual Artists of North Park Group Show
Expressive Arts @ 32nd & Thorn, San Diego, CA - August to September 2025
"once upon a time"
""the joys"
Music as Muse - Group Show
Expressive Arts @ 32nd & Thorn, San Diego, CA - May 2025
"future shine"
"green pastures"
13th Annual Artists of North Park - Group Show
Expressive Arts @ 32nd & Thorn, San Diego, CA - July 2024
"in Arizona" - winner - 2nd place, mixed media
Native American Landscapes - Group Show
Escondido Art Association gallery, Escondido - CA, June 2024
"a most toxic myth" - winner - Best in Show
"romantic gestures" - winner - 3rd place, mixed media
The Good Earth, Our Beautiful Planet - Group Show
Escondido Art Association gallery, Escondido - CA, May 2024
"nowhere else to go"
The Art of Letting Go - Group Show
Expressive Arts @ 32nd & Thorn, San Diego - CA, April 2024
"center of gravity"
Circles, Squares, Triangles 2024 - Online Virtual Exhibition
Exhibizone.com, International, February to March 2024
"an apology"
Top 100 SoCal Artists - Group Show
SH!FT Gallery at Connect San Diego, Ocean Beach - CA, January 2024
"a most toxic myth"
The Gift - Group Show
LagunaART.com Gallery, Mission Viejo - CA, December 2023
"on dusty fields" *sold
"center of gravity"
12th Annual Artists of North Park - Group Show
Expressive Arts @ 32nd & Thorn, San Diego - CA, July 2023
"been here before"
4 Square - Group Show
Art on 30th @ Ashton Gallery, San Diego - CA, March 2023
*artist first show
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Shane A. Stahl was born in South Los Angeles. He grew up with the influences of Los Angeles' Latinx Community until moving to California's Central Valley at the start of the 8th grade. Throughout his remaining schools years, Shane was active in speech, debate, choir, and community volunteerism. This lead him to working for non-profit social service providers. It was not until the isolation of the COVID pandemic that Shane would return to artistic expression. Shane has lived in San Diego for more than half his life and currently calls the community of Logan Heights home. He has had a professional studio in Barrio Logan, and recently joined The Studio Door - San Diego's premier LGBTQ+ Gallery - as a resident Studio Artist.