Artist Statement I work at a large scale which augments the visual impact of my paintings. It is this initial impact, often perceived from a distance, that draws the viewer inside the work where a more intimate connection between observer and the observed can be realized. I see the picture plane as a portal beckoning the viewer to enter. I believe that a strong gestural drawing to be an essential framework upon which my painting is structured. The application of pigment merely serves to complement the initial drawing, an extension of the drawing itself. I do not delineate a point where drawing stops and painting begins. Should the initial drawing be weak or confusing, or should its initial gestural design lack vigor, I will abandon it altogether and begin again. No amount of painting technique can compensate for a failed drawing. Exhibitions: Littleton Museum 2015 Littleton Museum one-man show 2016 Lone Tree Art Expo 2017 Brighton Armory in 2017 Valkarie Gallery one-man show: The Atmosphere, 2018 Valkarie Gallery one-man show: Non-linear Realities, 2019 Architecture of Form, 2021 Spark Gallery Patterns of Chaos in Nature – The Medical Arts at Spark November 2021 D’art Gallery Third Annual Group Show 2022. Littleton Museum 2023 39th Annual All Colorado Art Show, Curtis Arts & Humanities Center, Greenwood Village, Colorado, 2023 History: Stephen attended the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida and the Atlanta College of Art. He worked as an editorial illustrator, graphic designer and art director during his years in Atlanta. Steve’s editorial illustrations were published in Georgia Trend, Business Atlanta, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Tampa Tribune, The Journal of Atomic Scientists and Commonweal.