Maynard D. Stewart

Maynard Stewart taught at San Jose State University for many decades. He has touched the lives of many students over the years. Some of his former students are prominent, nationally recognized artists. Many of his students keep in contact with him.

I was fortunate enough to have Mr. Stewart for a teacher. I learned how to paint in the style of the old masters with a grisaille underpainting and a limited palette. He instructed the class in painting with the palette of Rembrandt: flake white number two, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, cadmium red medium, burnt umber and ivory black. Mr. Stewart taught us how to scumble and how to properly use glazes.

I had never been to an art gallery till the figure painting class went on a field trip to the Palace of Legion of Honor in San Francisco. I was blown away by the paintings of Gerome, Corot, Bouguereau, Degas, Sargent and the rest of the permanent collection. What was amazing was the way Mr. Stewart was able to analyze the paintings and describe how each painter achieved his results.

We still get together with some former students on field trips to art shows at the Palace of Legion of Honor and other museums in the area.