Who am I and where am I from:
My name is Craig Stephens and I live on two beautiful acres in Auburn, California. I have been a high school art teacher for the past 21 years. I grew up around a decent art book collection that my dad had. some of my fondest childhood memories are of trips to art museums in the bay area with my parents and sister.How I got into this:
The first decent drawings that I ever did were copied from my collection of Marvel Comics. Through high school I continued to draw and dabbled a little in painting. My first positive experience with painting was in community college where I had classes with Gary Pruner, this guy could really paint and his color theory was very strong. He got me excited about making pictures. I latter transferred to U.C. Davis where I had classes with Wayne Thiebaud, Dave Hollowell and Roy DeForest. In 2006 I met Duane Keiser at a karate practice and he introduced me to the idea of completing a painting a day.What drives me:
That's a pretty complicated question. I'll try to list some of the driving factors in no particular order. I like to make things. I have lots of ideas and it's satisfying to explore them quickly and move on to the next thing. I like collections of similarly sized or shaped things. The idea of creative momentum appeals to me. I get antsy if it's late in the day and I haven't painted yet. The concentration required to paint from life is a lot like meditation for me. Finally, It would be disingenuous for me to not mention economics. I make a modest sum by selling these little paintings on-line. I'd rather have them out in the world being enjoyed than tucked away in a box in my studio.What kind of work I do and why:
I paint mostly still life paintings featuring a single object. My painting aren't really about composition. They are too simple for that. I like the way things look. Lately I'm messing around more with my edges. The boundary between abstraction and clarity is interesting to me. The objects that I choose have to resonate with me in some way. I like old tools because I think they have some of the essence of the people who used them. Sometimes I like the shape or color of something at the moment I see it and it just strikes me as being interesting of fun to paint. I always tell my students that it doesn't matter what you paint. What matters is how you paint it. A successful painting can chart the quality of your mentality while you're painting it.
All Images are copyright by: Craig Stephens
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