Crystal Clear

"In the Pasture" - 8 x 10" - oil

For the past week or so I've been working on some things in preparation for the solo shows that I have later in the year.  The first is at the B. Deemer Gallery in September and then there's the Glave Kocen Gallery in November.  Fortunately, I've been able to make some good progress on some of the pieces that I will have for those shows.  I don't know if other artists do this but I decided to put together a folder with all of my reference photos and thumbnails in order to help keep track of things and to help with my process.

On another note, yesterday I received some exciting news!  I was notified that the book "Rosa's Bus" by Jo S. Kittinger, that I illustrated last year, received the 2011 Crystal Kite Award.  I am both honored and thankful for the support of the folks at Boyds Mills Press.  The Crystal Kite Awards are given by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators to recognize great books from the 70 SCBWI regions around the world.  The SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards are chosen by other children’s book writers and illustrators, making them the only peer-given awards in publishing for young readers.

Belize it! (part 3)

"Cora & Speth in Action" - sketch

Now that I've been back home for a few days I thought that I should post the last installment of "Belize it."  Below you'll find a group photo of the entire 459th AMDS including my wingman Chris Hopkins (far left) and myself (far right).  If you're wondering why I look so dazed... well frankly I was exhausted and had already started thinking about a couple of projects that I needed to work on before I got home.  

The sketch above was one of the few compositions that I was able to put together during my time in Belize.  Most of my drawings were just thumbnails to help me figure out what photos I would need.  This sketch includes Major Mario Cora and Capt. Sarah Speth during health inspection of the hotel's kitchen to ensure that everything is up to code and that we don't get sick.  Later on in the year I'll post some of the progress that I've made on this and a few other compositions.  

The 459th AMDS

Exiting Belize via a C17

Belize it!

"Green Pastures Gang" 24" x 30" - oil

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The painting above is one of six paintings that will be making its way to the Art at the Mill event in Millwood, VA.  Although the show doesn't start for a few weeks (April 23rd), I thought I should get these pieces in the mail before I go on my next big "field trip" with the United States Air Force Art Program.  

Have you started scratching your head yet and asking yourself "gee, where is Steven off to this time?"  Well folks this time I'm in sunny, sunny Belize documenting the humanitarian mission of the USAF.  I'll be here for about two weeks with a team of medical personnel that will be going from town to town to cater to many of the medical needs of the Belizean citizens.   

Although it is beautiful here this trip is not all about fun and games. Believe it or not Belize is actually a third world country.  It really shows once you drive inland and away from the tourist sites.  Despite their situation the people of Belize seem to have a remarkably positive outlook on life.  This is the kind of mission that can really make you thankful for what you have.

The Bus Stops Here

Earlier this year I started working on "Rosa's Bus" for Boyds Mills Press, the trade division of Highlights for Children, Inc.  It's not so much about Rosa Parks but the bus that hosted one of the most historic events in the civil rights movement.  This story, written by Jo S. Kittinger, takes you from the assembly line of bus #2857 to it's arrival at the Henry Ford Museum.  As of this month, Rosa's Bus is available at most retail bookstores.

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

This is a demo that I painted for my "Oil painting landscapes" class at the McConnell Arts Center in Worthington, OH.  Hope you enjoy.

Full Frontier - part 2

"Scioto #2" - 30" x 40" - oil

Day two was actually day one. Easter was exhausting but we were ready for our first real day at Elmendorf Air Force Base. We met Major Lisa Reaver, our chaperon/escort, to get started on the day. As with most trips, we started off with meeting a few of the bigwigs of the base so that we could let them know what we're looking for and if it's possible. Everyone was very excited to have us on the base. They were even more responsive once they found out exactly what we were there to do.

After the meet and greet, Lisa took us on a tour of the base and further explained the importance of this event. The 477th Fighter Group was originally the World War II era 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) manned by African American pilots and the first Reserve unit to field the F-22. Basically, this was history in the making and everyone was excited that we would be highlighting this event.

While taking the tour, Lisa told us about some great photo opportunities. She had one in mind that overlooked the base and Anchorage. With the help of Airmen Matt, the base photographer, we found the wooden tower. This tower obviously didn't get a lot of visitors as the road was covered in snow. This is where things get interesting. We parked the truck and proceeded up the snow covered road to the tower that sat on a steep snow covered hill. What's a little hike? Well after we stepped off of the road onto the hill I stepped into two feet of snow. This must be a fluke. I would step down into two feet of snow continuously for the next twenty yards while Matt, who had a thinner frame than myself, was able to walk on the top layer of the snow.

Although we gave Lisa a hard time about leading us into an "Arctic deathtrap" the view from the rickety tower was totally worth the hike. Here's a view of the tower, with our motley crew and the view from the tower with an F-22 taking off.

Steven and the Traveling Studio

"Nature's Fall" - 5" x 7" - oil

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I was reading an issue of Art Calendar a few months ago that focused on artists getting freelance work as illustrators. Getting work can be difficult but how you handle the process is even more important. Unlike creating work for yourself, with illustration you're often working to cater someone else's schedule. This often requires long hours, a wonky schedule and patience. I rarely pursue illustration work these days because of my fine art focus but it's nice every now and then.

So a few weeks ago I put everything on hold for a freelance project that came my way. Although it forced me to put most of my work on hold it was totally worth it. My project began shortly after Memorial Day weekend. For the most part the project went smooth because I was fortunate enough to work with a friend (hooray Summer). There were several revisions in the sketch phase before I got the green light to work on the final painting. Everything was on schedule until the day before we had to get on the road. I had just finished the painting when I got the call that some major changes were needed. What can you do? No point in having a hissy fit.

The project needed to go to print soon and so I took the show on the road. I could have postponed the trip but I had several obligations that I had to honor in Richmond too. I decided to take my paints, brushes, my laptop and lastly my scanner to upload the image to my ftp site. After a few hours of painting in the hotel room, I was able to get it all done and sent to the client. It put a little hiccup in the trip but these are the things that you have to do sometimes.

Not to Mention

"Shine On" - 5" x 7" - oil

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This painting stems from one of my many drives to DC. During each trip I would pass by one of the few views of farmland on that strip of 95 that wasn't blocked off by towering trees. The land itself is nothing spectacular but during my last trip the sky was just awesome.

Aside from working on a new batch of studies, I received a call last week from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. The call was to inform me that I got an honorable mention for my illustration titled "The Strong." Did I deserve it...who knows. Am I honored...of course that's why they call it an honorable mention.

"If third place were first I'd only be runner up."

Another Post...er

"The Rail" - 11" x 14" - oil

Here's one of the new pieces from my travels through downtown Columbus. So far I've completed nine "Columbusy" paintings. I'll be posting more of these in the coming posts. In the meantime I'm going to get back to painting some larger pieces. It's been a while since I've completed any large works. This was particularly due to a lack of time (not that I have more time now).

I did this piece a few months ago for Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). This poster is part of the kickoff to Black History Month and contains a calendar of events at the university sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs throughout the month of February. This is the second poster that I've made for the university. I was told that several students and alumni framed theirs. As far as I know the poster is free so if you're in the area go pick one up at the Student Commons.

Speedy: A Tortoise Tale

"Barnside" - 6" x 6" - oil

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The assembly line has been running at a slow but steady pace this week. I usually work on one painting at a time but at the moment I've got about six paintings that are in the works. It's hard to leave an unfinished painting to work on another painting but I think the extra time to mull over works will help with the quality assurance.

In other late breaking news, a few days ago I got the news that my illustration titled "The Strong" was accepted into the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles (SILA) annual competition. The first time that I had work accepted to SILA I was comfortable with thinking that it was a fluke but now that it's happened again I'm just relieved.

Printing Treasures

"Red Roof Inn" - oil - 24" x 24"

A long time ago when my main concentration was illustration, I'd often get requests for prints of illustrations that I've created. At the time it was not cost effective for me to invest in prints. I've recently come across a "print on demand" website called Imagekind.com. This site has allowed me to upload works to their site and for anyone that wants to purchase prints of my work can do so at a fraction of the cost of the original. The site also allows a variety of printing sizes, papers and framing options.

So far I've only uploaded a few paintings to my gallery such as Jimi Hendrix, The Tinman, The Storm and the Happy Couple. If there are any images that you've seen on my site or blog that you'd like for me to make available for purchase as a print please feel free to email me at steven@stevenwalkerstudios.com.

Again, tomorrow (Dec. 6th) I'll be showing new works like the painting above at Morgan's Treasure in Westerville from 10am to 5pm.

A note for all Virginians: My statewide traveling exhibition with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts titled "Under a Virginia Sky: Paintings by Steven Walker " starts this Tuesday in the Pauley Center at the VMFA. For more information click here.

Print Gallery: http://stevenwalkerstudios.imagekind.com/prints

And the Crazy Artist whispered...Rosebud.

"Sledworks" - oil - 8" x 10"

The holiday season is approaching quickly. This time of year is often my busiest and most productive. If I weren't such a Grinch I'd hire some elves to help me out but since they unionized it's been almost impossible to work with them.

Earlier this week I was asked to submit a holiday/winter painting for a business in Richmond, VA to use on their holiday greeting card. Anytime I can get some good exposure without breaking the law I'll take it. Unfortunately I only had a few paintings (as in one) that contained snow so I decided to paint an image specifically for them. It's always nice when someone recommends you (thanks Candace) and even better when they're easy to work with (thanks Jen).

"Rosebud" - Citizen Kane

What Big Ears You Have...

"The Fan #30" - oil - 5" x 7"

This painting is the start of a small series that I'm working on. I had a little time while I was in Richmond last week and decided to take some pictures of some of the homes and apartments throughout the Fan district. I'll cross my fingers and just see where this all goes.

Since it's Halloween I thought I'd post one of the photos that was taken earlier this month at the Highlights for Children Illustrators Party. Every year, as a thank you to the artists, Highlights throws a themed party for all of the contributing artist of the past year. This year the theme was The Enchanted Forest. I decided to go with a costume that would better reflect my personality... hide the kids!

Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday KeMoni!

The Egg is in the Skillet

Air & Rescue - 24" x 48" - oil

A few months ago I went on a trip to Fort Dix, New Jersey on behalf of the Air Force Illustration Program. The trip included live fire, war games, a hidden Rockwell and a guy named Scrat (I wish that I was making this stuff up). Per the agreement with the Air Force I was commissioned to create one painting based on the week long trip/tour. Since now a days I don't do as much figurative work I thought I'd post the painting with all of the process work that led me to the finish work. This painting will be a part of the United States Air Forces' permanent art collection.

If you weren't aware of the trip and want to read up on all of the adventures of five crazy artists just click here.

The Journey-"Don't Stop Believin"

Ft. Dix - 5" x 7" - oil

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Yesterday I took some time to update some of the paintings on my website. Although I post quite often on my blog, I sometimes neglect bringing my website up to date.

My next big project is actually an old project. I'm preparing about twenty pieces for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA). These pieces will make up a statewide traveling exhibition titled Under a Virginia Sky: Paintings by Steven Walker. Since the date for the exhibition has been pushed back to December (tentatively), I thought I'd take a look at the pieces that I had reserved for the exhibition. I was amazed at how much my work has changed from earlier this year. Fortunately it's been a change for the better. The evolution of my work also means that I have some work to do before December in order to make the show both impressive and cohesive.



The painting above stems from one of the many adventures that my fellow artists and I faced while in Fort Dix, NJ for the Airforce Illustration Program. If anyone is interested in this painting or others on EBay just click here.

Career High Lights

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Doppler #4 - 5" x 7" - oil

Recently I received the sample issue of my first assignment for Highlights Magazine. I completed the piece in January but they usually work about six months in advance. Although it won't be on magazine stands until January 09, I completed my second assignment for the magazine this month. If you have kids or find yourself in a waiting room this month, you may see the July issue with my piece on page 5. Here's the piece that's in the current issue of Highlights.

McGuire Airforce Base Day 2 (part 1)

Before I get into day two of my Air Force trip I thought I'd mention that the painting above was done for Art 180's Change for a Ten. It's a celebration and benefit for Art 180's Tenth Anniversary. Definitely a good cause.


Now back to the trip. Many times the adventure lies in the journey. This can certainly be said when you pack five sobering artist into a Dodge caravan at 7:30 in the morning. While in the lobby we discussed who found the most ticks the previous night from our time at the obstacle course. I think three was the max. We headed to Walmart to pick up a few nic nacks. As to be expected we arrived at the base late again but this time it wasn't due to making any wrong turns.


We went back to the USAF Expeditionary Center to recap on what Jim and Bill missed the previous day. It gave us a chance to take photos of anything that we missed the previous day.

From the Expeditionary Center we went to the shooting range (live ammo). We only needed to be told once that this was live ammo and to place yourself anywhere except in front of the line. Can do. Maybe I'm picky but I've got this slight hang up about being shot (don't want to be shot, don't need to be shot). The instructor in the tower would yell out "Gun" the soldiers would turn to the targets and fire like...well a lot of guns. I was allowed to get within a couple of feet of the soldiers while they were shooting. A couple of times shells flew right past my head. My sketches were much better than the previous day since the soldiers weren't running all over the field I had a little longer to capture them. At one point I thought it started to rain but I realized that it was my own sweat dripping on the sketchbook. The sun that day was "hotter than a Times Square Rolex."


Again, TSgt. Sturkol took us for a great lunch. After one helping (a really big helping) at the Chinese buffet we went to the Dollar Tree next door. Tatiana sold us on going because "Every thing's a dollar!" We found some great deals and were off to see the convoy training exercises.

The convoy training exercise was suppose to simulate if the convoy was attacked while en route. We got there a little early and saw the instructors setting up the booby trap. The soldiers would have no idea where the trap was set up so we had to make sure that we were out of sight. This would have been easy for me if I weren't wearing my bright red "Ain't no party like a Scranton party" t-shirt but I was able to find a really big tree to duck behind. Since the convoy was running a little late I decided to call my good friend, and fellow illustrator, David. We were in mid conversation when I saw the convoy coming and had to cut the call short.

BOOM! A big baby powder bomb went off and "the enemy" started firing. All of the artists moved in to catch as much of the action as possible. Guns a blazin', green smoke, shattering booms and a convoy springing into action. This team was pretty good. They moved the injured maintained cover and got out of there. The instructors/the enemy in this exercise went the extra mile as I spotted one instructor shooting in a tree about twenty feet up.

Our time until 4:30pm was spent at the obstacle course. The obstacle course was the same as yesterday but included the canine unit. Not only were the soldiers responsible for moving the injured sergeant but the dogs as well. I didn't even know that the Air Force had a canine unit. These dogs were far more obedient than my dog. They would stay still while the soldiers applied first aid to them. One of the soldiers in charge of the canine unit inquired as to who we were. After explaining that we'd be creating paintings based on our trip he urged us to do something with the dogs because "no one ever does anything about the dogs."

This would end our "official" day but there was much more to come as we were headed to Princeton, per TSgt. Sturkol's suggestion for good places to eat. This is where all of those crazy stories you hear about five artists in a caravan in New Jersey start.

More to come after a word from our sponsors...

To view/purchase works from the upcoming show please click here
Fredericksburg Show opening reception July 5th from 6 to 8:30pm

Show dates: June 30-July 26
813 Sophia Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

McGuire Airforce Base Day 1

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Puff - 5" x 7" - oil

I won't ramble on about the travel day but let's just say that it's easier to find your way through the Bermuda Triangle than New Jersey. Since this was the first time that I met either John or Tatiana (illustrators from California) the road trip to the hotel did give us a chance to get familiar with each other.

The first day of the trip started off with John, Tatiana and I making our way to the base to meet up with TSgt. Sturkol. We were under the impression that Jim and Bill were going to meet us there since they were driving in. We were very wrong because when we arrived (30 mins. late) we saw that neither of them were there yet. We exchanged pleasantries and proceeded to get our car and base passes. It didn't take that long but the young lady found it to be near impossible to find the right Steven Walker (there are only a couple of thousand of us out there).

Once that ordeal was over the tour began. When I looked at the itinerary for the day it didn't make a whole lot of sense and it seemed dull as hell but a trips a trip. We still didn't know when Jim or Bill were going to arrive. TSgt. Sturkol took us around the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center. It was extremely informative because at the time I was not clear as to what all went on at the base. We took the tour and in the process met a few of TSgt. Sturkol's supervisors. The Expeditionary Center was packed with hundreds of paintings from past illustrators. We didn't recognize the names of most of the artists that did the paintings but nonetheless they were beautiful.

From there we headed to the armory. Again, I didn't know what to expect or what kind of questions to ask. Tech. Sgt. Sean Heraty made it easy for us and just started whipping out assault rifles, sniper guns and anything else that we've seen in movies. He seemed pretty excited to show off all of his toys.

The itinerary read "tape drills." What does this mean? What kind of tape...masking, scotch, duct? It turns out that it's a drill to help train soldiers on how to secure a room. Where does the tape come in? I'm glad you asked. They tape off the floors of the gym to resemble a floor plan. I noticed how the soldiers stayed focus on their training. They seemed really comfortable with having people hang around and take photos.

Lunch at Mulligan's was were we finally met up with Jim and Bill. No one gave them a hard time because honestly it's very confusing making your way around the base. "Turn right at the brown building...but they're all brown." I'll say this much...our meals were great everywhere we went.

Lastly we arrived at the Air Force Phoenix Warrior Training Course. The itinerary was very deceiving as it read something about first aid. Automatically I assumed that we'd watch guys apply tourniquets. The presence of several soldiers with AK-47's, a large field and the biggest baddest instructor (Tech. Sgt. Rudolph Stuart) that I had ever seen told me that this was a new kind of first aid. This is how the course went. A thunderous BOOM starts the exercise as one of the sergeant's gets out of a truck flailing her arms and collapses. About three members of the first team tended to her as the others gave cover. Thank the heavens that they were using blanks because otherwise I'd be dead five times over. To further simulate action there were five other instructors scattered out in the woods pretending to be the enemy. It was wild. TSgt. Stuart's demeanor is to be admired as it reflects my teaching style (yell and curse until you get horse and then curse some more). The challenge was to transport the "hurt" sergeant from one end of the obstacle course to the other while still keeping cover and not getting your patient killed. They didn't do too well the first go around but once they tracked a little mud on their uniform they were a lot quicker. They went over walls, through trenches and under barbed wire and all while transporting their patient.

Before we left, both John and Bill gave TSgt. Stuart a memento (a watercolor study from John and a drawing of Scrat from Bill) to take home with him. We later found out that Bill's drawing made TSgt. Stuart father of the year.

Getting back to the hotel was no easy task but it only took us 30 mins. more than what Google maps predicted. We all unwound by going out to eat at the nearby mall. You'd be surprised how long five artist that have never met can talk. It was the equivalent to "playing bridge with the girls."

Stay tuned for Day 2...

To view/purchase works from the upcoming show please click here
Fredericksburg Show opening reception July 5th from 6 to 8:30pm
Show dates: June 30-July 26
813 Sophia Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Move over Sgt. Pepper

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Doppler 1 - 5" x 7" - oil

A few months ago I signed up for the U.S. Air force Illustration Program through the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. The program is great because they provide trips for artists to bases and/or events and all I have to do is create a painting based on my experience during the trip. I've been a member of the Society for a few years now but have had obligations (graduate school) for the last two summers that prevented me from taking any trips. In addition this is an opportunity to give my dad something to talk about. He's retired Air force and the poor guy has two sons that are artists. Other than our devilishly good looks (yes I said that), we don't have much to talk about.

So yesterday morning I received a call from the Pentagon...at 7:30 a.m. Now for those of you that know me, know that I'm not truly attentive until after noon. Never the less I ignored my eye crumbs, put on my best phone voice and turned into "Captain Attentive." After the awesome news I was pretty jazzed and decided to work on some studies like the one above.

Reminder: Fredericksburg show -Opening reception July 5th from 6 to 8:30pm
Show dates: June 30-July 26
813 Sophia Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 - (540) 373-5646

Col. Mustard, with the Candlestick, in the Kitchen

"Mr. Boddy" - "18 x 24" - oil
"Colonel Mustard" - 5" x 7" - oil

For the past month or so "the little lady" and I have been working on a Clue party for her and her sister's birthday party (twins). Again, prior to last month I had not seen the movie nor had I played the board game. I'm going into this blind but I've just had to take an active roll on some level. This prompted me to create paintings for the cards that each guest would receive.

I finished the cards last month but there was one thing missing. If you watch the movie, there's a portrait that resembles Mr. Boddy (yes it's spelled with two D's) who is actually the butler but does not play the butler. Yes, it all is very confusing but none the less I agreed to paint a portrait to hang in the dinning room.

The party went smoothly, the birthday girls had a good time and everyone seemed to enjoy their paintings. All in all it was a good night. I almost forgot....I played Colonel Mustard and my weapon of choice was the candlestick.

Clyde's Hobnob Shed

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"Hanover #3" - 5"x7" - oil

Yesterday was a jam packed day. I started the day off by running a few errands to tie up some loose ends so that I could take a night trip to Washington D.C. for the Illustrators Club 14th Juried Show Exhibition. I truly could do without going to these "hobnob affairs" but I had a few pieces in the show and thought that I should at least show my face. What really swayed me to go to D.C. was knowing that after the show we would go eat at my favorite restaurant, Clyde's. Good eats. I almost forgot to mention that we drove through a ridiculous tornado on the way home...no big deal though. Fortunately I was able to take some time and finish this small painting of a storage shed in Hanover County before we left for the show.