He meets this need by painting on location. Working on the busy porch of Alley's General Store in West Tisbury is especially refreshing to him.
Art lovers have commented on the absence of human figures in much of Steve's work. The human presence is there, however, even when people are not depicted. A figure was part of the original design of a surf scene Steve was painting, but he omitted it in the end and showed only footprints in the sand. Figures in "Beachcombers" remain in the background, subordinate to the main theme, as they bend over to search.
As be matures, Steve's work is changing, and his themes are growing broader and more universal.
"I cannot forever rely
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on the vineyard for inspiration," he says, 'and am less interested in recreating recognizable scenes. I want to paint pictures that will have meaning for people who may never have visited the island."
Nevertheless, "My pictures will always have a sense of New England," Steve adds.
"As long as I keep my nose to the grindstone and produce work of good quality, I think I'll be fine. I hope to eventually earn enough by painting to allow me to experiment. There are things I'd like to try that are different, not avant-garde, but radical in terms of my own goals. Right now, my work is my bread and butter, and that matters, even to the artist."
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