Paintings
71 works
Eric Stefanski I Love Myself I Hate Myself For Sale
Eric Stefanski
I Love Myself I Hate Myself, 2023
Oil pastel and charcoal on heavyweight paper
11 x 14 in 27.9 x 35.5 cm
Edition
Unique
About this work
Eric Stefanski's "I Love Myself I Hate Myself" presents a stark confrontation with the fractured nature of self-perception, rendered in oil pastel and charcoal on heavyweight paper. The work features the titular phrase executed in Stefanski's characteristic hand, where text becomes both image and confession. The dual media create a tension between the waxy resistance of oil pastel and the smudged vulnerability of charcoal, producing a surface that feels simultaneously deliberate and unstable. The words themselves carry the weight of the piece, their physical presence on the paper acting as emotional residue—traces of an interior monologue made visible and permanent. The emotional register oscillates between acceptance and rejection, mirroring the cyclical nature of the statement itself. There is no resolution offered, no synthesis of these opposing impulses. Stefanski allows the contradiction to exist without apology, presenting self-love and self-loathing not as endpoints but as coexisting states that define contemporary psychological experience. The intimate scale of the work—just eleven by fourteen inches—demands close looking, pulling the viewer into a private space of reckoning. Within Stefanski's broader practice of text-based painting, this piece represents an extension into works on paper while maintaining his commitment to language as primary visual material. The shift from acrylic on canvas to oil pastel and charcoal introduces a rawness and immediacy that complements the confessional nature of the content. For collectors interested in acquiring this work, Guy Hepner in New York can provide additional information and facilitate the process.
Price on Application
Edition & Provenance
- Year
- 2023
- Medium
- Oil pastel and charcoal on heavyweight paper
- Edition
- Unique
More from this series
More series by Eric Stefanski
About the Works on Paper Series
Eric Stefanski's Works on Paper series showcases a compelling collection of introspective and emotionally raw pieces that capture the artist's distinctive voice. Through mixed media and drawing techniques, Stefanski explores themes of self-reflection, desire, and the mundane moments that define human experience. Titles such as I Love Myself I Hate Myself and Thirsty reveal the series' unflinching examination of internal contradiction and longing, while works like Grocery List and Show's Over ground these psychological investigations in everyday observation.
This series represents a significant body of work that demonstrates Stefanski's ability to translate complex emotional states into visually engaging compositions. The accessibility of the works on paper format, combined with their conceptual depth, has made this collection increasingly sought after by collectors interested in contemporary figurative and conceptual practice.
These pieces remain vital acquisitions for those building thoughtful contemporary collections. Several works from the series are available for purchase, and additional pieces may be acquired through direct inquiry.
About Eric Stefanski
Eric Stefanski is a Chicago based artist known for large scale abstract paintings that incorporate bold, handwritten text. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and earned his MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 2015.
Stefanski's work merges expressive mark making with direct, often humorous or self-deprecating phrases, using language as a way into larger themes around vulnerability, failure, and the pressures of maintaining a creative practice. His large-scale canvases favor vibrant color and bold lettering, with text functioning less as slogan and more as fragments of internal dialogue, blending humor with genuine emotional weight. Through this approach, Stefanski examines what it means to sustain a life as a working artist, treating uncertainty and contradiction as part of the process rather than something to resolve.
His work has been shown extensively in Chicago and Boston, along with solo exhibitions in cities including Tokyo and Madrid, and has continued to expand into galleries and institutions internationally.
He continues to live and work in Chicago.
Guy Hepner works with collectors seeking Eric Stefanski's bold, text-driven abstract paintings. Contact us to discuss available inventory or to inquire about upcoming releases.