Stephen Davan

Some exciting news: prints and notecards featuring artwork from “Strike The Ghost Light” are now on sale at the Museum of Broadway! . A lot of you know I’ve been plugging away for a while at this book project of mine — an illustrated, fly-on-the-wall look at the life cycle of a Broadway theater. While “Strike The Ghost Light” is still a work in progress, I’ve just taken three of my favorite illustrations from the book and had them made into a limited run of giclée prints. Notecard sets (I loooove a nice little notecard set) featuring all three designs are also available. . I’m especially thrilled that the team at @museumofbroadway has given these items a home in their store. If you haven’t yet visited the Museum of Broadway or its terrific shop (which is open to the public) — here’s your excuse!! It’s a must-visit for every theater nerd. . Stop by the museum store at 45th & Broadway to pick these up in person, or order from my own online shop (link in bio). . #broadway #theater #illustration #museumofbroadway || thank you to @henrytisch @msjulieboardman @noah.sprock @creativegoodsmerch for the collaboration!

To the many of you who've just recently started following my work—hello! 👋 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Whether you're here for the theater illustrations, the figure drawings, the sunny Provincetown scenes or the moody urban ones, I'm glad you found me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A brief intro to myself: for the past decade I've made my career as a scenic designer for theater, film, and TV, working on productions as varied as Broadway's "Frozen" and "Angels in America," Hulu's "Wu-Tang: An American Saga," and Apple TV+'s "Severance." ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A lot of you originally became familiar with my work through my drawings and paintings of "The Phantom of the Opera," for which I was first an associate scenic designer (2019 World Tour) before having had the privilege of documenting the show's final Broadway rehearsals this year. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When I'm not toting my sketchbook to the theater I'm often turning my eye toward LGBTQ+ subjects—queer history and social life being an area I return to again and again. One of the things I'm most grateful for lately is the community of talented, generous, and *fun* queer artists I've come to befriend here in NYC. I try to draw with these folks as often as I can at weekly figure drawing sessions around the city; you'll see more of that work here, too. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Alongside all of this, I've recently been embarking on a secret-not-so-secret graphic novel project, which you can follow along with at @striketheghostlight . It's my love letter to theater, to New York, to time travel (??), and as long as I don't draw and erase and draw and erase my fingers down to little stubs, I hope to be able to share more of it with you in the not-too-distant future. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Propping me up behind the scenes is my incredible husband Jon (@j_y_hill ). We are proud dads to no dogs and no plants but lots of kitchen equipment. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📸: @austinyourface

These past few months I had the immense privilege of sitting in on rehearsals at "The Phantom of the Opera", to capture some quick impressions of life at the Majestic ahead of tonight's final Broadway bow. . I can't express how much it meant to me--the artist I am today; the theater designer I've been for the past decade; the 5-year-old I once was, sitting rapt in Row K of the rear mezzanine--to get to spend some quiet afternoons with this cast and crew. Shows come and go and come back again, but this one feels different: the thousands of performers, musicians, stagehands, dressers, and ushers (to name only a few) who've passed through the Phantom stage door have created a very special theatrical alchemy that is unlikely to be duplicated. For 35 years there has been actual magic in the air at the Majestic. . Lots of gratitude to Production Supervisor Seth Sklar-Heyn and everyone at Phantom Broadway for inviting me into your home. From a former member of the phamily, and a forever phan--thank you. . #phantomoftheopera #phantombway #broadway #majestictheatre #backstage #theatre #rehearsal #halprince #mariabjornson #andrewlloydwebber #drawing #illustration #illustrator #sketchbook @sethsklarheyn @phantomopera

I’ve been told I’ll get more likes if I show you my underpaints Or something like that This was a fairly breezy underpainting—but it still took one whole Vampire Weekend album. And that was after several days of wrestling with two unsuccessful underpaintings that now sit beneath this one. Nothing is ever as quick as it looks on here…

LIC Arts Open Studios is this weekend — come say hi! 👋 I’ll be working on some pieces in my new space. 44-01 22nd Street, Long Island City, Queens Studio #207 Sat May 16, 12PM - 5PM Sun May 17, 12PM - 5PM For more info about the weekend: @licartsopen

Finishing touches ✨🪩🌙

A little Provincetown in LIC

I have a studio! At long last. Watch this (literal) space.

This city is my most reliable muse, even when she’s in a nasty mood. This week it’s felt pretty good to be a New Yorker. 🗽

At church with Lon Chaney. 🕯️👻 Halloween screening of 1925’s “The Phantom of the Opera” (100 years old!) at St. Paul & St. Andrew on the Upper West Side. Ink wash & wax pencil, 7”x10”.

Carver & Commercial. 🏮 Watercolor pencil, acrylic gouache, & colored pencil on Sennelier drawing paper, 5”x7”. . #provincetown #ptown #travelsketchbook @crewsquartersptown

PAAM! 🖼️☀️🎨 I love being a part of this museum’s 12x12 Exhibition. Every summer for the past eight summers I’ve submitted a piece to this show. With each one I’ve challenged myself to recall a very specific moment or feeling from a previous trip to Provincetown, and I try to freeze it in time. Parting with these pieces each September is always a little harder for me than parting with any other work. . All eight were auctioned off to benefit the museum; to date I only know where one of them ended up. Wherever the rest may be hanging now, I hope they’re still bringing a little of that special Ptown feeling to someone’s wall. . #provincetown #ptown #paam #paam12x12