First Impressions
From printing with fish to exhibiting on Long Island…
Where did you grow up and how has this influenced your art? I grew up in a small town in Ohio. I’ve later found a ton of artists are from Ohio and I think it’s because there’s nothing there, so we end up living in our own heads and making things. What, outside of art, has most influenced your artwork through the years? Nature. I’m fascinated by fish and patterns in the flora and fauna of the world. I used to go fishing with my dad as a kid and I’d catch fish, ink them up and print them onto cardboard sheets. You’re a child, you see a painting or drawing that changes everything… what are you looking at, and what effect did it have? It was the work of Salvador Dali and MC Escher, without a doubt. Those two were a huge mind expansion that opened me up to the world. What was your next step in art? Did other interests vie for your time? What was the deciding factor? Always wanted to do art. My next step was dividing my time equally between painters and comic book artists. I was given two gifts as a kid that became life-long obsessions: oil paint and comic books. I was a sickly kid and I stayed in a lot. I remember being really sick and my parents brought me these things to cheer me up. Tell us about your first paid commission, Does it stand as a representation of your talent? My first paid commission occurred on a day when John Jude Palencar called to give me a job that he didn’t want and was too busy for. It was for an company’s internal magazine cover that I did in ink, and was an image of Moses guarding the gates. It doesn’t represent what I do now, but I’m proud that John gave me that first gig. What’s the last piece you finished and how do the two differ? The last piece I finished was for the Haven Gallery, in Long Island, New York. Sands of Time depicts a butterfly above a woman who’s gradually drifting apart. So it’s at the other end of the subject spectrum! What advice would you give to your younger self to aid you on the way? All the things you want become possible, so stop waiting and just work at it. How has the industry of art changed for good since you’ve been a part of it? There are no barriers anymore. You can sell directly to collectors and fans and the middle man. The gatekeeper is almost non-existent. What character or scene that you’ve painted do you most identify with? All the ones of people falling apart. Reaching for something and falling short. There’s beauty in the struggle. In the doing of a thing. Steve started his art journey by doing a toned paper drawing once a day for 75 days in a row. Now he’s involved in larger projects and gallery work. See more of his art at www.stevenrussellblack.com.
The work of Salvador Dali and MC Escher were a huge mind expansion