Steven Steinberg

Don’t blink: you’ll miss it

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A sunset, alone in your thoughts, a surfer trying to tame the power of a wave, the calmness after a storm, the nuances of nature, all seem to pass before you in a split second. What if you could freeze those moments in time and dig deep in the future to bring them back, viscerally. As a recollection, as a reminder, as a feeling. That is what I am trying to evoke in my paintings, a feeling in the viewer that reminds them of a moment in life, regardless of its significance or smallness, a moment that is etched in their being as a “frozen moment.”

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My paintings typically start with a sketch or underpainting executed entirely via a grisaille process, in black white and raw umber, getting the essence of the subject matter, the anatomy if figurative, the tones and lights and darks. I then apply color via a glazing medium which, on top of the underpainting, gives my subject matter greater depth.

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Detail is very important to me: I spend a lifetime looking at the masters, a lifetime of inquiry and scholarships, grounded in years of sketching and learning how to see, to truly see, which I hope translates into my body of work. I hope my paintings convey a directness of expression that recalls the work of those I respect and emulate. How do we create an “aha!” Moment via gestures, strokes and marks of color that upon inspection seem insignificant, but taken as part of the whole painting, helps achieve that “aha!” Moment.

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Art is my personal form of communication: I communicate through my paintings hoping to capture moments in time, a particular emotion, feeling and sentiment that reminds the viewer of a personal experience in their life. I am passionate about art and painting: art motivates all I do daily. I am constantly striving for perfection and find painting a magical and spiritual experience unlike anything else. I have been fortunate to have studied with some wonderful artists and experience art in many countries. I never stop learning about art or pursuing a higher level in my work.