Eric Stefanski Trying For Sale

About this work

Eric Stefanski's "Trying" presents the word itself as both subject and confession, rendered in the artist's characteristic approach where language becomes a vehicle for raw emotional expression. The painting features the word painted in what appears to be a gestural, handwritten style against a ground that carries the weight of process—likely showing evidence of layering, drips, or the kind of surface texture that suggests repeated returns to the canvas. The letters themselves may vary in opacity or steadiness, embodying the very act the word describes: the imperfect, ongoing effort of showing up. Stefanski works within a lineage of text-based painting that includes Christopher Wool and Ed Ruscha, yet his practice diverges through its emphasis on vulnerability rather than irony or cool detachment. Where others might deploy words as conceptual puzzles, Stefanski treats them as emotional residue—traces of interior states made visible. "Trying" functions as both declaration and reassurance, the kind of word one might repeat to oneself during difficult passages. Its simplicity is deceptive; the present participle suggests continuous action without guaranteed outcome, capturing the suspended state of effort without resolution. The scale of the work at 20 by 16 inches creates an intimate encounter, drawing the viewer into a personal register rather than overwhelming with monumentality. This measured dimension allows the painting to function almost as a mirror or mantra, reflecting back the universal experience of sustained, uncertain effort. For acquisition inquiries regarding this work, please contact Guy Hepner gallery in New York.