ABOUT STEVE:
Steve was born in Lewiston, Maine in 1957 and raised in Livermore Falls, Maine. He moved to California in 1984 and received basic Art training at the San Francisco School of Art. He also has trained extensively with the nationally known plein-air painter Armand Cabrera. His other major influences are Maynard Dixon and Edward Hopper. Steven now resides in Kelseyville California overlooking beautiful Clearlake. "Aesthetically, I believe that art should impact the viewer and stir an inner feeling or memory. If I have evoked that emotion then my painting is successful".
"When I first became interested in plein-air painters, I admired artists from the "Society of Six" as in Selden Gile, William Clapp, Louis Siegrist to mention a few. They were early California Impressionists and I became attracted to their outlook and lifestyle. They were painters that went out together and painted alla prima and seemed interested in truly capturing the emotional elements of a scene. I think I modeled myself after these people. Many plein-air artists these days will bring a piece back to the studio to finish up, but I feel the emotional bond has been lost once you leave the scene so I paint from start to finish in one sitting in the true pure plein-air tradition. I will often paint in the studio by photo but even then I will paint from start to finish in the plein-air tradition. For me, I feel that if I do not have an emotional reaction to a scene then how can I expect a viewer to have an emotional reaction to what I have painted
STUDIES:
San Francisco School of Art, San Francisco CA.
Plein Air Workshops:
Tom Soltesz - Jun 2001
Randall Sexton - Apr 2002, May 2003, Jun 2003
Armand Cabrera - June 2002, Feb 2003, Aug 2004, Weekly Workshops Jan-Mar 2004
Jeannette LeGrue - Jul 2003
Armand Cabrera - July 2005 - Bar Harbor Maine
SELECTED AWARDS:
Feb, 07- Fairfield Visual Arts Assoc 44th Annual Juried Competition - Merit Award Winner
Jun, 03- "OF THE EARTH" Juried Show Indian Valley Artists Gallery, Novato, CA "Winner of the Marin Conservancy Group Award"
Jun, 02- American Canyon "11th Annual Arts Extravaganza 2002" Second Place winner
SELECTED SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS:
ONGOING WEEKLY SHOWS WITH SAN FRANCISCO ARTISTS GUILD-SAN FRANCISCO
2011-Main Street Gallery Lakeport CA- Group Show
2011-Lake County Wine Studio Upper Lake CA- Group show for Konocti Plein Air Painters
2010-Angelina's Bakery - Lakeport CA
2010-Six Sigma Vineyards Wine of the Month Show at Twin Pines Casino- Middletown CA
2010-One Man Show For March at Lake County Wine Studio- Upper Lake CA
2008-"Catching The Light" 20th Street Art Gallery - Sacramento, CA
2007-51st Annual Mill Valley Arts Festival - Mill Valley CA
2007-Tulip Hill Wine Festival at Tulip Hill Vineyards - Nice CA
2007- Alameda's Frank Bette "Jewel By The Bay" Juried Plein Air Paintout
2007-Wednesday at the Waterfall - Benefit Event at CazSonoma Inn - Cazedereo CA
2007-Fairfield Visual Arts Assoc 44th Annual Juried Competition- Merit Award Winner
2006-Plaza Arts, Healdsburg, CA
2006-Rodman Slough Exhibition to Benefit Lake County Land Trust - Lakeport CA
2005-Calistoga Art In The Park - Calistoga CA
2005-The Naked Vine Show - St. Supery Winery, St. Helena CA
2004-Art In The Garden- Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
2004-Home Winemakers Festival - Kelseyville, CA
2004-Calistoga Art In The Park - Calistoga CA
2004-Second Annual Landscape Show- Tangerine Gallery, Ukiah CA
2003-Solo Show-First Christian Church - Vallejo CA
2003-Evening In The Valley- Wooden Valley Winery, Fairfield CA
2003-Nash Gallery Sponsored Valona Paint-Out- Crockett, CA
2003-"OF THE EARTH" Juried SHow Indian Valley Artists Gallery
2003-"Outside" 3-person show Fetteryly Gallery, Vallejo CA
2003-Vallejo Community Arts Foundation Show "Spring Ahead" -Vallejo CA
2003-"Vallejo Visits Vacaville" -Vacaville Art Gallery, Vacaville CA
2003-"The Art Of A Community" - Benicia CA
2003-Flyway Festival Art Exhibit, Mare Island CA
2002-Vallejo Artists Guild Invitational, Fetterly Gallery, Vallejo CA
2002-American Canyon "11th Annual Arts Extravaganza 2002"
2002-Offices of State Senator Wes Chesbro- One Man Exhibit
2002-Fetterly Gallery "In The Open Air" Vallejo CA
2001-"Meet The Makers" Juried Show Benicia CA
2000-Charles Schwab Corporate Offices "One Man Show
MEMBERSHIPS AND CLUBS:
Artists Guild San Francisco www.artistsguildsf.com
Oil Painters of America www.oilpaintersofamerica.com
Konocti Plein Air Painters www.konoctipleinairpainters.com
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