From the Void to Best of Show: St. Louis Artist Stephen Farr Wins Big
St. Louis artist Stephen Farr, who creates under the moniker Legbason, is rapidly defining his own reality in the contemporary art world. Fresh off winning the Best of Show award at the 2026 The Popcorn Easel Art Show in St. Louis MO, Farr’s intricate graphite illustrations have captivated audiences by bridging the gap between the tangible human experience and the metaphysical realm.
For Farr, artistry is not merely a profession; it is an act of spiritual alignment. He views creators as vessels for a unique frequency, a belief that heavily dictates his approach to composition. Rather than rendering isolated subjects, Farr builds complex visual ecosystems where highly organic human anatomy merges seamlessly with surreal, structured geometry and ceremonial masks. His ultimate goal is unity. "My goal is to relate every element within a composition to a single, unified idea," Farr explains. "Everything operates simultaneously on different levels of consciousness. By merging physical, metaphysical, and abstract imagery, I explore the fusion of multiple layers of consciousness and the unconscious structures of reality."
This fluid philosophy mirrors his creative process, which he describes as deeply organic. Instead of rigidly planning every detail beforehand, Farr allows his dense narratives to evolve naturally from a foundational concept. His compositions act as visual journeys, intentionally inviting the onlooker into and out of the artwork through portals that lead into a vacuum. "I invite the onlooker into and out of the image through portals into a void—an absence of all life representing a realm of complete consciousness, stillness, and ultimate peace," says Farr. "From this void, life springs forth, juxtaposed between nothingness and existence within the human experience."
Farr’s iconography is heavily rooted in African history, using these motifs to unearth hidden truths. In his visual vocabulary, ceremonial masks serve as a metaphor for the way individuals conceal their true selves to navigate rigid social structures. Central to his current body of work is a profound reverence for the female archetype as the ultimate source of life. "I draw on African symbols and imagery of Black antiquity to express hidden truths," Farr notes. "Masks symbolize the concealment of one's true self to navigate social structures. Images of powerful women pay homage to the divine feminine as the source of life, restoring the divine feminine alongside the divine masculine."
This thematic dedication is beautifully realized in his piece Heavy Is The Head. The drawing features a serene, nude figure cradled in a giant palm, visually overshadowed by a monumental, crowned entity. Farr reveals that this focal figure is Lucy, the ancestral mother of humanity. In this quiet yet authoritative depiction, "it depicts her manifesting reality into existence and conjuring magical entities to aid in the creation of humankind, embodying the calm authority of the divine feminine."
Farr revisits this matriarchal anchor in the piece titled Lucy, where a realistically rendered profile stands in sharp contrast to a chaotic, explosive eruption of architectural structures, faces, and smoke pouring from her hair. Here, Lucy serves as the epicenter of creation. "A realistically drawn woman serves as the focal point while surrounding constructs contort, sparking the creation of existence," Farr describes. "The work juxtaposes sanity and insanity, examining how social constructs clash with human nature while constructing and deconstructing a lucid reality."
In stark contrast to the serenity of creation, Farr's Throne of Suffering tackles the visceral friction of the human condition. The piece centers on a powerful duality: a screaming figure captures the constant, underlying agony of human existence, physically anchoring and bearing the weight of a character seated above. "The screaming figure represents the constant suffering of human existence," Farr says. "Seated above this suffering, the higher self holds a weapon, signifying its role as both protector and guide. With a hidden face symbolizing the unknown and light emanating from behind—the source of all creation—the work merges the higher and lower selves."
Looking forward to 2027, Farr is preparing to expand his frequency into three-dimensional spaces, transitioning his heavy, detailed line work into large-scale, freestanding sculptural installations. For Farr, this evolution is a natural extension of his spiritual practice. "Bringing deep spiritual and occult concepts into three-dimensional space is a form of meditation for me," Farr shares. "Carving hidden symbols into clay channels celestial templates embedded within the human mind. Through this practice, I refine techniques to channel primordial power, restoring the Black being and the celestial feminine archetype to their divine order within the viewer's imagination, consciousness, and subconsciousness."
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Lukumi Arlota – Contributing Writer
Lukumi Arlota is a mental health advocate, black empowerment activist, public speaker, and business owner.
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