Steven Steinberg

FROZEN MOMENTS IN TIME

I paint in a style called Grisaille, a term for painting executed entirely in monochrome or near-monochrome, usually in shades of grey. I employ grisaille as underpainting or “sketch” for an oil painting (in preparation for glazing layers of color over it).  It gives my figurative oil paintings a depth unachievable, in my opinion, from other techniques.  

 

My figurative paintings are inspired by photographs I take while traveling the many areas of the country in which I’ve lived and painted.  I do not use projection techniques to transfer photos on to the canvas but rely on old fashioned charcoal sketches as the basis of the future images.  I hope to capture feelings that are evoked from these photographs, rather than try and achieve photo-realism: the feelings surrounding my work are unique to the viewer and not imposed by me.

 

My body of work is comprised of a figurative series, abstract series, landscape/seascape series, western series, and dancer series.  In my figurative work, I hope to capture “frozen moments” in time, often finding private moments between friends and in family settings. My abstract paintings typically take a clue from a realistic image, often photographs I take, that inspire a minimalist approach to depicting the major impetus for the composition.  My latest abstract series seeks to convey the interaction between nature and the manmade environment, conveying the conflict between the two forces.  My landscape series is based on my travels in California: my dancer series seeks to capture movement and interaction between dances while in movement.

 

My Western Series seeks to capture scenes and moments indicative of the Southwest, its rich history, its rich past.  Having lived in Arizona for 14-years prior to relocating to California in 2008, its beauty and “big” skies captured my heart.  I hope this new series reminds viewers of the Southwest they too fell in love with.

 

I do not try to convey my interpretations of my paintings to the viewer: instead, I allow each viewer to be inspired in reliving a moment in their lives that is inspired by the painting.  

 

Come visit my studio where there are many more paintings to view and purchase.

Have an ARTFUL day!