Latest Artwork
This digital artwork depicts Stanage Edge in the Peak District.
Stanage Edge is a gritstone escarpment in the Peak District, popular with walkers and rock climbers. It lies about 4 miles north of Hathersage, which itself is famous as being associated with the legend of Robin Hood, with Little John being buried in the churchyard of St Michael’s.
The Peak District National Park covers an area of 555 square miles, mostly in Derbyshire but extending into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It was the first designated National Park in the United Kingdom.
Forthcoming Artworks
A visit to the Essex seaside resort of Walton-on-the-Naze, with its beach, pier and colourful beach huts provides a wealth of inspiration.
Just to the north is the Naze, an unspoilt headland of heath, saltmarshes and sandy beaches, its 70 foot high cliffs under constant erroision from the North Sea.
It is also the site of the 86 foot Octagonal Naze Tower which houses an art gallery.
Artists Statement
Steve Smith's early work began with the exploration of memories watching cartoons coupled with a developing interest in pop art, influenced by artists such as Alec Monopoly and Nigel Humphries. Working in acrylics and spray paints his work featured vibrant colourful backgrounds, and collages linked to the characters. With the development of digital software his work extended into the creation of three-dimensional models, often recreating key characters from story books, television series and films.
Currently his work focusses on depicting the natural and urban landscape though creating abstract, geometrical acrylic paintings. By limiting pieces to just a series of interconnected straight lines, he looks to evoke a memory of a particular place, which through the use of solid blocks of colour present the landscape as a series of interconnected minimalist forms.
Each piece begins with a photograph of the landscape from which he works digitally to isolate the key forms and convey them using only straight lines. The digital drawings are then carefully measured and precisely transferred to the canvas before each element is subsequently masked and painted.
Ultimately his goal is to present a minimalist interpretation of each landscape, inviting the viewer to fill in the detail from their personal memories and recollections of the particular location.