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Welcome to the twisted world that exists within the mind of Stephen Somers – a place where more than one amalgamation of distorted flesh goes bump in the night. A Milwaukee native and graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Somers uses his acrylic paintings as a therapeutic means to exorcise disturbing states of mind.

His acrylic paintings, which combine portraiture with a wild imagination and a penchant for rearranged body parts, have a heavy emphasis on gel mediums.

“I feel it gives me the best qualities of watercolor, oil paint and drawing because of the fluidity, control over opacity, quick drying time, and ability to layer,” explains the artist.

Inspired by the surrealist school of painting, along with portrait artists and illustrators, Somers bridges the gap between everyday life and those realms that exist only within dream – or nightmare.

“I like the work to have a cinematic believability to it,” he says. “As though it were a scene from an unmade movie or parallel reality.”

And with portrayals of skin, muscle, and bodily orifices that seem to ooze off of the canvas, there is no lack of believability here.

When he’s not painting, Somers plays around with video and records experimental disco music in the same vein as Ween. His work has been exhibited nationally, and recently made its way to Germany.

For more visit: www.stephensomers.com