Picnic in My Desk Drawer

“For three years, I made paintings from observation that depicted the same one-foot-by-one-foot space of my bedside table,” says artist Brad Stumpf, whose compositions record daily experiences, memories, and domestic activities through a process of creating miniature dioramas from everyday objects. Like miniature stage sets, the tableaux are painted from observation and portray objects that Stumpf has crafted from paper and other found materials, often organized on small surfaces like side tables or in drawers.

Registering daily activities around the house, documenting time spent with his partner, or navigating the emotional terrain of family relationships and mortality, Stumpf creates a visual diary of passing time and life changes. Many of his paintings originate from an arrangement he kept permanently beside his bed, which he would reorganize if he happened to enter the room during the day, or tweak a little bit just as he awoke in the morning. In a statement, he says, “I want my works to function like an open door to a quiet room for which you peek in, or a still photo of a play halfway through.”

Find more on Stumpf’s website and Instagram.

Header image: Focus, 2023. Oil on panel, 18 x 24 inches

All images © Brad Stumpf