Substack Archive: Chez Steph 6/4/26

Substack Archive: Chez Steph 6/4/26

 

  • Eagle Avenue Bridge

  • New prints and Postcard Club 

  • Commissions 

 

Current listens: Alanis Morisette radio

Current reads: The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac, Louise Kennnedy, and Aednan: an Epic, Linnea Axelsson

Eagle Avenue Bridge

I’ve stared at this bridge for years and adored it for its own sake, but it took up a weightier residence in my headspace this spring. The spine arching over the Cuyahoga River—you know, the one that caught fire back in the day and spurred the establishment of Earth Day—reminds me of an ancient cat. 

 


 


 

My own cat passed away in February, aged 22. He was with me through adolescence, cross-state moves, grad school, and divorce. He stayed until I was happy and safe. His spine was so bony by that time, you could see individual vertebrae through his fur . . .  We buried him surrounded by trees. I built him a cairn of the rocks we dug up while making the hole. 

 

Eagle Ave. Bridge is approximately 95 years old, a relic of Cleveland’s industrial heyday, when we were one of the richest cities in the world. The bridge has been unused for decades. Lovely, wild flora has grown up around it. The bridge will be torn down later this summer for safety purposes. I wanted to memorialize the site’s optimism, decay, and new growth.

 


(Image of Patrick and dagger-eyed goose)

 

Print Availability . . . And

 

Starting tomorrow at noon, “Eagle Ave. Bridge” will be available for pre-order in two formats:

 

A 6”x8”, archival matte print

 

This will be a museum-quality, limited edition print, similar to “Mason’s Creamery.” Perfect for framing and hanging by your comfy chair. 

 

And . . .

 

As month 1 of my new post card club! 

 

Every month, I’ll send you a postcard featuring my original art: usually it will be of a meaningful building or structure in Cleveland, but I may occasionally surprise you with an image from my travels to Greece, Japan, Ireland, Guatemala, etc. :) Each postcard will also feature a brief note from me.

 

This is a soft launch while I’m getting the hang of adminning a notoriously laborious endeavor. There will be only 9 spots for the first month.

 

For newsletter subscribers, preorders for both the prints and the postcard club will start tomorrow at noon. You’ll have 24-hours of exclusive access.

 

For those of you wondering about the sketchbook flip on social media . . . 

 


 

 

It’s a 12-minute, live-study for a commission! Super excited to be drawing this adorable house, with its arches and decorative trim and porch. For commissions, I sometimes work solely from photo references. However, when possible I like to do a drive-by and a preparatory live sketch, so that I can get the vibe and infuse it into the final piece. 

 

My books are currently closed, but I will be able to take on one new personal commission in July or August. For more info about the process, see my website and/or message me. 

 

 

More later. Check back in tomorrow to get your art!

 

Thanks for reading 🖤

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