Steve Metzger
An essay by Steve Metzger
April 15, 2009
I have been painting for around forty-five
years now and have seen a lot of changes in the art world. Through it all I have
emulated different artists and styles that have come along , so, overall, my
work might seem to lack continuity. Maybe it does, but so does our culture. Once
, the only way to depict something was to draw or paint it. Now there's digital
images...you can capture an image with a cell phone and send it around the
world. Why bother painting anything? Especially, a copy of a photo. Chances are,
the painting will be lacking in the detail the camera can capture anyway.
So why do I do it?
The bottom line is, I enjoy painting
from photographs (and digital images). I like looking at the painting when it's
in progress and when it's done. I like the details in photos, and the way the
camera crops the image, camera distortion, the monocular view thru the lens. I
enjoy using the projected image to create compositions and block in territories
quickly. I think of photography, digital technology, and the projected image as
contemporary tools available for artists to use freely to create paintings.
Occasionally, I'll set up a still-life in the
studio and paint it traditionally, or I'll go to various locations and paint "plein-air"
paintings, but I would probably never participate in a "paint off" because I
feel the only competition I have is with myself.
When a painting is finished it's a movable piece
of real-estate, it affects the space around it. I enjoy that aspect of my
painting also... The perception of the finished work. It's slow, it changes each
day. Sometimes the light rakes across the surface and the painting dies...but
sometimes I feel pretty good about. Looking at a painting, living with it, is so
different than watching TV.
I am definitely one of the latter, I would
love to sell my paintings, but not at the expense of the love of painting, or
sacrificing too much time to the business of art. If what I have accomplished in
a lifetime of art means anything, someone else might someday sort it out...in
the meantime, I'll be working on the next painting.
Air Water Oil on Canvas, 54 by 40 inches POR
|
Chevron Oil on Canvas, 54 by 54 inches POR
|
Desert Center Gas 1 Oil on Canvas, 54 by 54 inches POR
|
Desert Center Gas 2 Oil on Canvas, 54 by 54 inches POR
|
Ludlow Cafe Oil on Canvas, 50 by 50 inches POR
|
Eats Oil on Canvas, 54 by 54 inches POR
|
Southwest Oil on Canvas, 5 by 7 feet POR
|
Street Rod Oil on Canvas POR
|
Lido Palms Motel Oil on Canvas, 64 by 42 inches SOLD
|
Bird of Paradise Oil on Canvas POR
|
Open Road Oil on Canvas, 58 by 84 inches SOLD
|
Blue Highway Oil on Canvas, 5 by 20 feet POR
|
Wilhoit Gas Oil on Canvas, 54 by 54 inches POR
|
Home Made Food Oil on Canvas, 58 by 84inches SOLD
|
Cafe Oil on Canvas, 54 by 82 inches POR
|
Bus Stop Oil on Canvas, 36 by 60 inches POR
|
Gas Oil on Canvas SOLD |
MOTEL Oil on Canvas POR
|
Two Trucks Oil on Canvas, 54 by 82 inches POR
|
Blue Truck Oil on Canvas, 20 by 16 inches POR
|
Sunrise Oil on Canvas, 36 by 44 inches POR |
Sunset Oil on Canvas, 36 by 44 inches POR
|
Black Car 1 Oil on Canvas, 62 by 44 inches POR
|
Black Car 2 Oil on Canvas, 62 by 44 POR
|
Click here for more pictures >>>
_________________________________
949-497-5578
PREVIOUS PAGE | to HOME PAGE | to MANY MORE ARTISTS | NEXT PAGE |
_______________________________________________________________________________________
This page, all design &
contents, are Copyright (c) 1994 by ArtSellers,
949-497-5578 E-Mail: mark@artsellers.com