Extra! Extra!

"Caught Up in the Moment" - 18 x 24" - oil

About a week ago I  participated in the McConnell Arts Center (MAC) "yART" show and sale.  The "yART" event is an art fair held on the lawn of the MAC in Worthington, Ohio and included several artists and area art leagues.  Like many artists, if I had the choice I'd never leave my studio but since I teach the oil painting class at the center it seemed like a good opportunity to draw up interest for my class.  It only made sense to make the best of my time and work on the painting above for an upcoming competition.  In addition to getting some work done I was able to see some familiar faces as well as meet some new folks from the area.  It wasn't far into the day when I found myself being interviewed for the community newspaper.  Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to leave the studio after all.

Special thanks to Jon Cook at the MAC and Candy Brooks of ThisWeek Community Newspaper.

click here for a larger view

Pardon the Interruption

"Hatch Show" - 18" x24" - oil

Well it's crunch time. I've finished 29 out of 40 paintings so far with a month left before the big solo show in Richmond, VA at Glave Kocen (plug). I don't like painting right up to the last minute but I've noticed in the past that I usually have a stronger body of work that way. Typically the thought of completing this many pieces doesn't worry me but lately I've been extremely busy. It wasn't always this difficult but somehow (out of nowhere) I ended up with a personal life. I honestly don't know how this happened.

In addition to teaching responsibilities and this crazy personal life I've got to keep the other galleries happy. The piece above was sent to The Arts Company a few weeks ago in an effort to keep them stocked with some Steven Walker pieces. If you enjoy vintage posters as much as I do then you should make time to stop by Hatch Show Prints in downtown Nashville, TN.

What the... (fill in the blank)

"Tattoo" - 24" x 30"- oil

Although I haven't been posting regularly as of late, I have been hard at work. Most recently my website has under gone an extreme face lift (Joan Rivers territory). Take some time to visit http://www.stevenwalkerstudios.com/. In addition to a new look there are a few new images along with a short biography. Unfortunately many of the paintings that I've been working on as of late will remain under lock and key until November but I'll share what I can.

The painting above is of a Tattoo parlor, that once was a bank, in downtown Nashville, TN. As I walked past this building I noticed a sign through the open door that read "Absolutely no bad language." What the... This seemed awfully strange for a tattoo parlor. It wasn't until I was well into the painting that I found out that this was Nashville's one and only Christian tattoo parlor. Soon this painting will be on its' way to The Arts Company for Artrageous, a prestigious annual fundraiser for Nashville CARES.

Ground Control to Major Tom

"Broad and High" - 36" x 36" - oil
Available at Art Access Gallery

A few weeks ago a fellow artist commented on how my life as an artist is so exciting. I've never considered my life to be anything other than drab and stressful. This leads me into today's post.

About two weeks ago I received a call from the United States Air Force Art Program to go to Los Angeles,CA to visually document the Space aspect of the Air Force. Now for those of you who are not familiar with the Air Force Art Program, let me explain. To create a visual history, the Air Force sends artists on trips to bases near and abroad to view the current event or exercise that is taking place. In return for the trip, the Air Force asks that the participating artists donate one painting that is based on their experience.

The trip started off with a few travel hiccups but nothing serious. There was a one hour wait for a rental car but on the bright side there was a woman that did the electric slide for about forty minutes while she waited in line. Although our dinner plans were thrown off by delayed planes, the few of us who had arrived were able to grab a bite at the Redondo Beach Brewing Co.

to be continued...

Hold the Olives

"Shaken not Stirred" - 30" x 40" - oil


This is a friendly reminder of the "New Works" group show at Art Access Gallery this Friday (July 10th). The painting above is just one of the new pieces that will be on display. The artist reception is from 5 to 8pm. If you can make it bring friends and their friends or even people that just look like your friends. Just come, have a drink, and enjoy the work. By the slim chance that you can't make the reception, make sure you go before the end the summer.

Between the Moon and New York City

"Madison" - 8" x 10" - oil
Sold

Once again I waited until the last minute to work on the Different Strokes from Different Folks challenge. Normally, it's fairly easy to finish a painting in a day or so but this scene of New York City's Madison Ave. was a tad bit complex. During the painting process I found myself getting stiff and overly concerned with detail. I reverted to a drawing exercise from undergrad. I flipped both the reference and the painting upside down and proceeded to finish it upside down. This wasn't done to show off but to get my mind off of the complex scene. It wasn't long before I had a delightful moment of artistic clarity. The buildings turned into simple shapes and the traffic appeared only as dabs of paint. You could even call it a Matrix moment.

Crossing the Line

"A Fine Power Line" - 12" x 24" - oil

During my last trip to Virginia I did some sight seeing. At the time, I was just snapping pictures of any and everything in Richmond, hoping that I'd have something to paint. I drove down some familiar roads to see what, if anything, had changed. While reviewing the photos I came across a photo of a side street that I use to park on when I taught at VCU. I must have walked, parked and driven this street hundreds of times but that day the light was just right.

It wasn't until after I received a call for entries from the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Art's that I would find a reason to paint this scene. The call for entries was for the upcoming "Fine Line" Show. This piece was just one of the 61 pieces selected for the show. The show starts Friday May 1st in Fredericksburg, VA from 6-8:30pm.

One State at a Time

"Sound of Music" - 5" x 7" - oil

Sold

On our last trip to Nashville I thought it would be nice to go to some of the local art galleries and maybe drum up some business. During a small break in the day we found ourselves walking downtown and miles away from the galleries that I had looked up online. After walking for about 10 minutes we saw The Arts Company. It says art so we've got to check it out.

We walked around the gallery for a couple of minutes before being taken upstairs to see additional artwork. On the elevator ride back downstairs I met a lady and her daughter. Yadda, yadda, yadda, I gave her one of my postcards and she began to rave. It wasn't long before I was talking to the owner of the gallery. She seemed very interested in my work.

As soon as I was able to get to my computer, I sent a formal submission packet to her. She immediately took to the work and now I'm on my way back to Nashville to drop off a few pieces for their New Works show. If all goes well I'm going to work on more pieces, like the one above, geared specifically towards Nashville.

Testing...one...two...three

"Columbus #3" - 8" x 10" - oil

Here goes nothing. I've had some technical issues with the blog lately and wanted to post this piece just to test the feed. Hopefully everyone is receiving the updates without any issues. This is one of the few cityscapes that I've done of Columbus. This painting is currently at the Art Access Gallery in Bexley, OH.

Hey 98.6 it's Good to Have you Back

"High St." - 12" x 16" - oil

For those of you who aren't aware, I've been teaching art part time at the university level for the past five years. During each of these terms I've managed to only get sick during Spring Break. This year was no different. Unlike previous years, I can't narrow down who the culprit was that infected me. I think it was a four year old named Shannon but until I have any hard evidence it's all speculation. Maybe it was a conspiracy. In any case . . . Vengeance will be MINE. I've been down for a few days but now I'm back at the easel. Here's a painting of High Street on an early Saturday morning.

Local Yokle

"Columbus #3" - 8" x 10" oil

A few months ago I started a series of local city paintings. This series lead to an article in CityScene Magazine. CityScene was the first local magazine that I had come across after moving to Columbus. A few paintings and a couple of months later and here it is. I received my copy of the article this past Saturday. I must say that I was impressed by the quality and color accuracy of the publication. I've had some nightmare situations about color accuracy with publications but this isn't one of them...bang up job. This painting can be found at Art Access Gallery in Bexley, OH. Click here to see the article.

Citywide Domination

"The Drexel" - 16" x 20" - oil

Yesterday I made a quick stop by Art Access Gallery to drop off some Columbus cityscapes. Cityscapes? Don't worry I haven't given up painting dilapidated barns and run down tractors. These Columbus scenes were inspired by Columbus City Scene magazine, of which I will be the profiled artist in the March/April issue. It's all part of my diabolical plan to get the word out... "Steven Walker's in town" (followed by an evil laugh). This piece is my second attempt at painting the Drexel Theater. I posted the first attempt back in December.

If you've been following this blog, then you know that cityscapes aren't "my thing." My first attempts at painting city scenes were mediocre at best but that was also five years ago. I'm not saying that I've mastered the art of the cityscape but I feel more comfortable and confident in my overall painting abilities than I did five years ago...or even five days ago for that matter.