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Stephen Reaves was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma and has made Colorado his home since the age of two. As a child, Stephen spent his time carving wood, sculpting clay, playing on his mother’s pottery wheel, making wall weavings, painting and sketching. Stephen exclaims, “Arts and crafts are what we did for entertainment growing up.”
His skills and techniques developed while using various mediums, each carrying over into another. “The mediums inspired me,” he explains, “and molded my intentions as a painter. For instance, when I paint with acrylic, I see myself sculpting colors and light and using texture to create a strong sense of depth.”
Stephen’s work is greatly influenced by the Fauvist and colorist movements, and like the Fauvist painters, he uses the beautiful Mediterranean scenery as his subject matter. With striking colors, bold strokes and simple yet warm compositions, his paintings evoke the sensations he felt during his extensive travels in Southern France, Greece and Italy. Each of his “Sculptures on canvas” produces a new emotion, sometimes peaceful, sometimes joyous and even whimsical.
Today, Stephen has extended his compositions to include the mountainous landscapes of Colorado. His winter scenes may be cold and crisp like fresh powder or have a warm feeling that approaching spring brings. Through a medley of emotions and feelings, Stephen’s work is not only fascinating and simple, but unique, as Stephen chooses not to do reproductions. This in turn makes his original “Sculptures on canvas” an integral part of private collections around the world.
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