Large Measure Woodblock Series
08/04/2023
Overview of Series
These works are based on paintings Steve has done over the years, isolating various compositions within them. These cropped subjects then become the focus for the paintings. They are common subjects which Steve has repeatedly explored and changed, each one constantly evolving with the use of gels and washes. The pieces take images painted directly onto wookblocks, mixing them together with the fragmented old barn wood. The central image, surrounded by the old wood, is not confined or held by the frame, but rather flows throughout the old wood and defines the shape of the frame.
Prussian Blue
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 12 x 15 x 1 1/4 inches deep. This small painting is part of a continuing series of woman and flowers. The image is done with heavy gels and multiple layers of washes, providing a rich overall appearance.
Tranquil
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 14 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches deep. This painting is part of the women and flowers series, it is one of the many themes that Steve has been developing over many years.
Dark Sky
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 9 1/2 x 11 x 1 1/4 inches deep. This small landscape shows the imminent storm approaching. The old church perched on the hillside overlooking the farmland is formidable, and proving its capability to stand and battle bad weather over the years.
Tranquil #4
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 14 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches deep. This painting has a richness to it that encompasses so much of the heavy layering that Steve loves to explore. The rough glazed wood and the warmth of the wheat fields, connected with the tones and values in the young woman's face, all tell a story.
Dark Sky with Farming Family
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 9 1/2 x 11 x 1 1/4 inches deep. This painting with its rich golden tones and dark atmosphere captures the harshness of the approaching weather. The harvesters are busy working under this heavy canopy as it develops, forcing them to quicken their pace.
Becalmed SOLD
Acrylic and old wood. Framed14 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches deep. Women and flowers Series The flower is holding the young woman's gaze, yet her thoughts are somewhere distant.
Sweetness SOLD
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 14 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches deep. Women and flowers Series. A young woman holds a daisy as if to showcase the single flower. An entire field fills the background, but she holds only one. The richness and meaning of this gesture is that there is only one true love.
Sheep Farm #3
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 12 x 14 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches deep. This pastoral scene showcases what Steve loves to paint, big skies. With a low horizon line and rich greenery, the sheep meander through the valley towards the water under a bright canopy.
French Rose
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 12 x 14 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches deep. Women and flowers Series This side profile of a young woman holding a rose is a rich inviting presentation. The background is full of vibrant colour and forms, which seem to encompass her as if giving her a warm hug. Her gaze is on the flower, but her smile shows there is so much more to the story.
The Sheep Herder
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 11 x 9 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches deep. This small landscape features rich autumn colors and values. A lone figure is standing at the edge of a shallow bank, as the water swirls and flows downward through a creek, and the sheep he is guarding graze in the midday shade.
Spring 1605
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 14 1/2 x 12 x 1 1/2 inches deep. This painting is all about the beauty of nature and the many ways it can be enjoyed. A couple have decided to do so from the water where the views are immense and surround them, yet it is the most isolated and wonderfully private place to be.
Lost in Thought
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 14 1/2 x 12 x 1 1/2 inches deep. Women and flowers Series. The young woman in the painting is holding a delicate flower, and yet, it in turn is not holding her attention in the least.
Young Musician
Acrylic and old wood, Unframed 9 1/2 x 12 x 1 1/8 inches deep. This small study, features a young inquisitive child beginning his journey into the world of music. It starts with curiosity and builds. This painting is created without a full frame. The 1/2 inch wooden border leaves the framing entirely up to the buyer.
The Sheep Hills SOLD
Acrylic, canvas and old wood, Framed. 12 x 14 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches deep. This little study is part of an ongoing sheep herder series that Steve has been doing for years. This painting however, focuses on the central figure concentrating on her book. The sheep are a back drop within the very pastoral setting.
A Winters Walk
Acrylic and old wood. Framed 14 x 14 x 1 1/2 inches deep. This little winter painting is all about the enjoyment of the season. Even if the scene in the painting occurred long ago, human nature allows us to still enjoy the simple things life provides.
Endless Valley SOLD
Acrylic, canvas and old wood, Framed. 12 x 14 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches deep. Harvest time is always busy. It's a push to get the work done before the winter months set in. This painting has the heavy dramatic tones of a autumn setting with its rich dark greens and copper hints throughout the fields. The landscape goes on forever, past the grain fields and on to the endless meadow. It's a small piece with so much depth.
The Sheep Herders SOLD
Acrylic, canvas and old wood, Framed. 14 1/2 x 12 x 1 1/2 inches deep. This painting features a mother and young daughter herding the sheep along a pathway through fields ready to be harvested. The landscape goes on and on, showing the colors of fall with so much warmth.
Autumn Dawn SOLD
Acrylic, canvas and old wood, Framed. 11 x 9 1/2 x 1 1/8 inches deep. Getting an early start on the day is often the best way to ensure the day's work gets completed. This small landscape shows a rich scene of fall colors during harvest time, while three figures begin their day under the early morning low lit sky.
The Journey SOLD
Acrylic and gel on wood and canvas. 27 1/2 x 32 x 1 1/8 inches, framed. This painting explores a grand landscape, with all its form and vibrancy, colour and vastness. It takes the vast textures of nature and brings it into Steve's multilevel wooden structure. There is a fusion of the wooded forest, in the painting, and the old wood used in the designs base upon which the painting is created. The composition shows two individuals emerging from the forest, carrying their belongings as they make their way along the steep trail, cascading its way down to civilization. The Journey is about our lives, unique to each of us in its path, challenges, beauty and outcome.
Plein Air Concerto
Acrylic and gel on wood and canvas. 21 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 1 3/8 inches, framed. Combining musicians into the painted landscape has long been a fascination of Steve's. With them, an immediate stillness and peaceful presence emerges. Steve works intentionally to create a reflective and tranquil image that evokes peace and serenity. The young musician is not the primary focus of this piece, but rather she blends into the forest, not taking away from the grandeur of the natural geometric shapes and movement of water in the landscape. She is an accompaniment in this composition.
Enveloped
Acrylic and gel on wood. 161/2 x 17 1/2 x 1 3/8 inches, framed. This painting is all about the things that are important to Steve. "Enveloped" shows a woman glancing out from the encompassing forest, where she presents a subtle smile of content. She wears this emotion based on her circumstances. She is completely at peace where she is. Surrounded by the trees that give her security. For Steve the forest symbolizes the pillars in his life: Family, Commitment and Faith. With these he is forever enveloped.
Noon Break SOLD
Acrylic and gel on wood. Framed, 11x 9 1/2 x 1 1/8 inches deep. The Harvest Landscape has always been a favorite subject in Steve's work. The tones of fall are some of the most used colours in his pallet. This little landscape explores these and brings the big blue sky and ochre fields alive.
Gentle on my Mind SOLD
Acrylic and gel and canvas on wood. Framed, 20 3/4 x 28 1/4 x 1 3/4 inches deep. Steve's paintings are, for the most part, very much about placement. He is constantly working with elevated layers and segmented wood locations. It's about constructing a composition that balances the form, or primary image, with the geometric shapes which gives symmetry to the entire piece. "Gentle on my Mind" is all about this positioning.
French Daisy
Acrylic and gel on wood, Framed. 10 3/4 x 14 x 1 1/8 inches deep. Steve loves to use mauve tones in his smaller pieces. It's such a delicate colour which outlines the form so well. This garden painting focuses on a young woman who has just picked just one daisy. Her choice, over all the others, is a metaphor for one love. A common theme found is Steve's work.
Approaching Dusk
Acrylic and gel on wood. Framed, 11 x 11 x 3/4 inches deep. The rich autumn colours are very evident in this harvest painting. They are alive with rich rust and ochre tones, common in Steve's work. The sun is setting while the work continues.
Soft Meadow
Acrylic and gel on wood. Framed, 10 1/4 x 13 x 1 1/2 inches deep. Finding a quiet place to enjoy a letter is a common theme in many of Steve's paintings. This bright and inviting painting is all about the enjoyment of being in the landscape.
With Reflection
Acrylic and gel on canvas and wood. Framed, 21 x 27 1/2 x 1 7/8 inches deep. This painting takes a deeper look at a previous work titled "Enveloped" and develops the concept further. It captures the moment of a woman gazing off into the distance with a look and feeling of utter contentment. It takes the smaller "Enveloped" image and portrays her in a full length setting giving the viewer a larger sense of the forest and the landscape.
Suonare
Acrylic and gel on canvas and wood. Framed, 18 1/2 x 22 x 1 7/8 inches deep. "Suonare" is Italian for, "To Play". It's a painting that presents a delicate balance between a dedication to mastering something, while enjoying it intensely. The flute is the perfect instrument to showcase this. It has a simple design, a mouth hole and 6 finger openings, yet when played to perfection the instrument has the ability to melt ones heart with it's whispering and graceful sound. Enjoyment is at the heart of this painting. The figure has a hint of a smile while remaining engaged and dedicated in the moment. This emotion is what Steve is striving to achieve in each of his pieces. It can be difficult at times, but when it does appear it is found in this image of contentment.
A new Friend SOLD
Acrylic and Gel on Wood, 8 x 10 x 1 inches, framed. This painting has a quiet and relaxing presence, it presents as a moment, perhaps fleeting, but a moment none the less shared.
Forest Rehearsal
Acrylic and Gel on Canvas and old Wood 30 x37 x 2 1/4 inches deed. Framed. This painting is a weave of undulating and heavy rich wood form. It presents four musicians practicing for a recital, within the privacy of the woods playing only for a curious audience of ducks, far away from critical ears.
Harmony
Acrylic and gel on wood and canvas. 27 1/2 x 32 x 1 1/8 inches, framed. A lone musician plays and practices her piece of music to perfection before presenting it to others. She is alone in the forest, hidden away and shielded so she may remain focused. With it's heavy wood design, this shallow relief sculpture presents the viewer a format of multiple levels, full of textures and form.
Frozen River SOLD
Acrylic and gel on canvas and wood. Framed, 22 3/4 x 25 3/4 x 1 3/4 inches deep. This sweeping landscape captures the wonder and grandeur of winter. The river has frozen over and the townspeople are enjoying the afternoon, they have left their work and cares behind as they take in the simple joys of skating.
