In a world that often seeks clarity through control, STO, born Erick Stow, chooses creation through chaos. From the windswept plains of Saskatchewan to the cultural thrum of Los Angeles, his life has been anything but linear. A multidisciplinary artist who blends painting, poetry, film, and sound, STO doesn’t just make art, he transmutes lived experience into something luminous. Through his evolving philosophy of motionism and works like Temptations of The Power, STO invites us into a realm where inner conflict becomes sacred ground, and art becomes a form of personal and spiritual alchemy.
the artist
Born in the wide, open prairies of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1985, Erick Stow has always existed between boundaries, geographical, creative, and personal. At the age of nine, he moved with his family to Lubbock, Texas, where he would go on to graduate with a degree in advertising from Texas Tech University. But STO’s connection to media and performance began even earlier, he was modeling by age six and later appeared in music videos and feature films.
From childhood, it was clear that Stow’s path wouldn’t follow convention. Over the years, he became a true multidisciplinary artist: painter, filmmaker, poet, designer, voice actor, editor, and composer. His creative output is as expansive as his life experience. What ties it all together is a consistent theme of transformation. STO doesn’t just create art, he uses it as a mirror, a tool, and a language for understanding the deeper aspects of self and society.
the journey
STO’s signature style, motionism, first emerged during his time in Los Angeles around 2015. It describes artwork that feels alive, filled with rhythm, emotion, and momentum. It was in L.A.’s Fairfax district that his independent journey truly began, attracting the attention of cultural tastemakers and celebrity circles alike. But behind the growing recognition was a deeply personal search, one filled with internal struggle, self-questioning, and a need to make sense of the chaos within.
Throughout his creative journey, STO has never shied away from confronting difficult themes: identity, loneliness, temptation, and the push-pull between darkness and light. His lived experiences, navigating neurodivergence, dealing with personal loss, facing legal and creative challenges, have all shaped his artistic voice. And while his résumé spans everything from nationally syndicated columns to music albums, it’s his paintings that most clearly reveal his spiritual and emotional depth.
the work
Among his many projects, one painting stands out as a pivotal point in his evolution: “Temptations of The Power.” This layered, emotionally charged piece was born from a moment of personal reckoning. During an ambitious art installation in Los Angeles, where he painted a massive labyrinth over 77,777 square inches, STO encountered a mysterious figure who would play an unexpected role in his growth. She called herself Ruth McArthur, and her challenge to him wasn’t technical, it was philosophical. She asked him to express something deeply personal, something tied to belief, meaning, and cultural misunderstanding.
Rather than write a formal answer, STO turned to his canvas. The result was “Temptations of The Power”, a bold visual meditation that combines ancient symbols, mythic archetypes, and intensely personal motifs. The piece is filled with esoteric language, imagery of light and shadow, and references to spiritual hierarchies. Angels, demons, sacred scripts, and emotional abstractions come together in a work that feels both timeless and deeply individual.
The painting explores the space between temptation and transformation, illusion and clarity. It reflects a universal human tension, how we often have to confront what is uncomfortable in order to discover what is true. STO describes the piece as a “layered exploration of inner conflict, self-discovery, and personal growth.” It is, in many ways, a map of his own spiritual path, marked by trial, surrender, and ultimately, creative rebirth.
Temptation of the Power – 2025
72” X 48”
Oil on Canvas
the path
Today, STO continues to push boundaries, across disciplines, across genres, and across perceptions. His work invites audiences into deeper reflection, not by offering answers, but by holding space for complex questions. Whether through painting, music, or storytelling, he challenges us to look beyond the surface and find meaning in contradiction.
“We understand more from the vantage of imagination,” he writes, a reminder that through creativity, we can begin to see ourselves more clearly.
In STO’s world, art is not an escape, it’s a confrontation. And through his journey, we’re reminded that the fire we walk through can become the light we create with.