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# Statistics
Favourites: 5; Deviations: 31; Watchers: 19
Watching: 8; Pageviews: 4796; Comments Made: 24; Friends: 8
# About me
One of my favourite memories as a child goes back to when I was just four years old. My grandparents came over to Canada from England to visit our family for a few weeks. At the age of four I enjoyed doodling anything from cars and boats to Ninja Turtles. The problem with this wonderful habit is that at such a young age I didn’t know the difference between paper and furniture which left much of my bedroom decorated in crayons. One day while my grandparents were visiting, our family decided to go on a trip to Pioneer Village. As a child I remember being so excited to see a Blacksmith working away at creating a simple nail. I thought it was so cool that this man was responsible for constructing swords and armour with his bare hands as well as a few simple tools. Once he was finished he handed me the nail and said I could keep it. It’s funny how such a small thing made me so happy back then. Once we arrived home Grandad decided that he would give me an art lesson. I guess he could tell that something inside of me was drawn to creativity. Grandad is no longer alive but during his life he spent much of his free time painting and drawing as well as doing illustrations for local English authors.To this day I still look at Grandad’s art work and am amazed at how talented an artist he was. During our art lesson he decided it would be fun to try to recreate the Blacksmith shop. Using a pencil and paper he instructed me to follow along and try my best to copy the image that he was so cleverly creating. By the end of this lesson he had created a beautifully detailed illustration of the Blacksmith forging a nail in his workshop. I on the other hand ended up creating a work of art that looked a little more like something Picasso would have drawn. For those that aren’t familiar with Picasso’s art I can assure you that this isn’t a compliment. This also isn’t an insult to Picasso because he was an extremely talented artist himself. My point is Picasso intentionally goes for the exaggerated disproportional almost cartoon look while I was going for the realism that my Grandad so easily managed to pull off.
Although at that age I was far from an expert artist, Grandad taught me something that would prepare me for a life of artistic expression. That day he taught me that art is a great way of capturing a moment in time, a place or feeling that you want to relive, if only through your imagination. If anything, one of the greatest things I have learned from art is that in life you need to stop and smell the roses, or in my case try and paint them. Sometimes you just need to slow down and realize that each moment in your life can never be duplicated. I think this is the reason that nostalgia is so bitter sweet. When we think about good times of the past we are filled with joy but at the same time we are sad that those times are gone forever. I find that art has taught me to take a deeper look at my surroundings and try my best to take everything in. Art has taught me that every day is another blessing so you should never wish for something in the future so bad that you wish your life away. Be happy for today because every day is beautiful in one way or another.
Although art has allowed me to recreate images of landscapes and buildings it has also taught me to express feelings through abstract art. The thing I love so much about abstract art is that I can forget about using any reference material and instead just create from my imagination. Before I create a piece of art I can decide if I’m going for a specific mood or feeling, or I can simply choose to just see what happens. There is a great amount of freedom that goes along with abstract art and for that reason alone it is something I really enjoy. As for landscapes I wouldn’t want anyone to think that painting a landscape means that you aren’t allowed to use your imagination. I myself have two different approaches when creating a landscape painting. I can either decide to paint it exactly how it looks in real life, paying close attention to minor details and colours, or I can decide instead that I would rather change things up a little. Sometimes I might decide that I want to use more vibrant colours or that I want to have some of my original background colour showing through the image to add an interesting effect. Obviously some of these decisions are up to the client if I am creating a commissioned work but you get the idea. Art is a world of unlimited options so I try my best to think out of the box when necessary.
Another one of my favourite art forms that is very much like abstract art in nature is graffiti art. As a young teenager I like to think that graffiti found me. I was never intentionally trying to be a bad kid or a vandal. I was just a young artist and graffiti was the cool thing to do, not to mention it was a ton of fun. Graffiti was just one of the elements of Hip-Hop and seeing as I was such a big fan of rap music it was pretty much impossible for me to avoid getting into graffiti. The difference between most other graffiti artists and me at that time was that I never really got into the art form so that I could put my tag on street signs and bus stops. I was the kid who wanted to go out with my friends and find a nice quiet place under a bridge where we could express ourselves in a totally artistic way. I never cared about the fame or notoriety comes with the art form. I just loved the idea of ten foot canvases, spray paint and being outside on a nice summer day. I was in love with an art form that was so heavily frowned upon and unfortunately because of that I was never given the option to do it in a legal setting. It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything that involves paint on private property and at the age of 27 I am more focused on my career as an artist than anything but there will always be a place in my heart for graffiti and for that reason it is one of my favourite things to create even if it’s just on a regular piece of paper or a canvas. Although I am mostly known for producing Landscape, Abstract and Graffiti art, I have also done a few portraits, characters and structures as well as many other miscellaneous subjects. My favourite mediums to work with are acrylics and occasionally paint markers and pens for more detailed work such as graffiti, cars and structures. I have used oil paints in the past but due to the messy nature of them as well as the time it takes for oils to dry I tend to stay away from them. I feel like there is so much more to be said about myself as an artist but I think its best that I let my art do the talking.
Now I guess you’re probably wondering what I do when I’m not busy drawing and painting. Nothing really specific. I’m just a regular guy who enjoys video games, sports, music, hanging out with friends and family, and most of all spending time with my wonderful girlfriend Jennifer. Did I mention I like brownies. I enjoy spending summers up at my cottage in Georgian Bay and the beautiful scenery that can be seen reproduced in some of my work. I’m just another young adult trying to make a career out of something I love to do. I am excited to continue this journey and I am grateful to all those who appreciate my art work as much as I enjoy creating it.
Thank you for your support!
# Comments
Comments: 18
stevesartstudio In reply to KeyboardWagon [2013-04-18 15:57:02 +0000 UTC]
Aww, thanks! thats very kind of you to say!
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Betneybob [2013-01-08 18:34:14 +0000 UTC]
Thank you so much for the watch It was the last thing I expected when I checked my messages.
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stevesartstudio In reply to Betneybob [2013-01-15 16:34:21 +0000 UTC]
No problem Betney! Alwayse happy to support a friend
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stevesartstudio In reply to valwolfpaw [2012-12-20 05:32:54 +0000 UTC]
Hey Valwolfpaw! Nice of you to drop by! much appreciated!
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Betneybob [2012-10-16 15:24:35 +0000 UTC]
I was so happy when I found that you had deviantart
hello XD
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stevesartstudio In reply to Betneybob [2012-12-20 05:32:27 +0000 UTC]
haha, ya I really need to start to use this more often. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to DA lol
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Betneybob In reply to stevesartstudio [2012-12-20 07:25:29 +0000 UTC]
aha don't worry, I've been here 2 years and still struggle and still get puzzled by it
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WarrioGirl [2012-10-14 12:06:45 +0000 UTC]
Hey Steve, I follow your youtube account, and I think I miiiight enter the contest. My username is MrMissMerde on youtube
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stevesartstudio In reply to WarrioGirl [2012-12-20 05:31:40 +0000 UTC]
Aw hey you! I dont come on here enough so I didn't see this when you posted it. Thanks for watching me on here Also thanks for all the nice support you've given my youtube channel! Your the best!
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WarrioGirl In reply to stevesartstudio [2013-01-29 06:18:10 +0000 UTC]
haha thanks i'm not very active on deviant too and I'm sorry I kind of left out youtube for a bit I'll watch your vids when I have less work keep up the good work!
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KuCookie [2012-07-18 14:55:31 +0000 UTC]
hey welcome to DA I really look up to you from ur youtube videos!!!! YOU HAVE A DA NOW YAY!!!!!
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stevesartstudio In reply to KuCookie [2012-07-24 05:48:37 +0000 UTC]
Aw thanks so much KuCookie! means a lot to me that you found me on here
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