Steve Rosendale - Artist
Steve Rosendale www.steverosendale.com.au is a Melbourne based painter whose figurative cinematic oil paintings capture a romantic view of urban life. Heavily influenced by film noir and such cinematic greats as Michelangelo Antonioni, Steve’s paintings emanate a moody nostalgia of times long past. His commitment to his imagery is equalled by a commitment to realism and to mastering his materials, which is apparent in his finished paintings, some of which can be seen in his forthcoming exhibition “Incidental” at Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne (http://www.libbyedwardsgalleries.com/exhibitionpage.asp?FType=69) “Incidental” opens 27th August 6-8pm and continues to mid September.
Artist’s statement…
My intention is to create works of mystery and drama, high contrast and atmosphere. All based on faint memories I have of wandering the city at night in my late teens, memories which become increasingly hazy and romanticized over the years.
I will use quite a variety of materials to create a composition - including sketches, personal photographs, film stills, magazine or news clipping; in fact any visual device i stumble across that seems to correspond to the sub-conscious memory. Then from this manufactured reality produce a finished oil painting.
What are you currently working on?
An exhibition at Libby Edwards Galleries for 27th August 09
A few words about what fascinates you?
Modernism, Tonalism, Romanticism, European New Wave Cinema.
You mention cinema as something, which fascinates you and obviously this comes through very strongly in your choice of imagery, could you tell us more about that?
From my earliest days as an artist I began using film, television and magazines as source material for my work. This really came about as a matter of pure convenience because I found it increasingly difficult to get models to pose, stay still, or even stay awake (!!) while I painted them. As time went on I began to rely more and more on film to provide the figures I needed for the paintings, eventually abandoning other source material all together. Over the last few years I have spent countless nights sifting through hundreds of films to find the exact pose or image I am looking for.
I have used the term “Incidental” to describe the work, in that the use of film as subject matter is really secondary to the mood or feeling I am trying to convey. Film is simply a device or tool that I manipulate to express the deeper, almost subconscious reasons for the choice of scene or figure.
I am far more interested in the use of composition and colour to create drama and mystery in the works rather than which particular film or actor is being borrowed for the scene. The result is not unlike a film still but on transferring it to the canvas and manipulating various elements the finished work will inevitably be filtered through the lens of my subconscious and imbued with the mannerisms of my personality.
Have you always been interested in art?
Always subconsciously, but only consciously for the last 12 years.
What is your earliest memory of art?
I recall a painting on the wall of my parent’s house by Neil Savage that fascinated me…I still have it today and it has been a huge influence I think.
Was art a “thing” that was encouraged in your family?
Hell no.
So did the place where you grew up have an influence?
Yes in the sense it was a negative influence; everything I wanted to escape from, ignore and avoid.
What did you do before or during becoming an artist?
IT course, Philosophy course, Photography course, worked in a factory, apprentice hairdresser, assistant manager supermarket, art store, framing store, shoe store…need I go on….?
Why are you an artist?
I was left with no other choice. Or to put it another way I had tried everything else, and when I discovered drawing and painting it was immediate it was so obvious I should have known all along.
How did you get into art?
Began by doing a photography course, then a drawing course, then onto to TAFE to build a folio then onto University Fine Arts.
Was your education helpful, or a hindrance?
Helpful. In the beginning I was a sponge for information so it didn’t really matter where it came from, even though I may not agree with different artists or art teachers or their methods there is still something to pick up from each one. If you don’t like a persons work (or the person) that shouldn’t mean you brush off what they have to say too quickly.
And I’d say art education is ongoing. It doesn’t end, everyday there is something new, something to learn, some new break through, just when you think you have unlocked some key secret you open a door on to a vista of things you don’t know.
Can you tell us about any significant moments in your life, the sort of things,which changed things for you and your art?
The first time I went to the city at night, I was about 17 and caught a train in. I was mesmerized by the lights; I was in awe, I was in love…it was an artistic moment but I didn’t realise it until years later. A moment I have not forgotten.
Did you have any idea about how the art world worked in the beginning?
No.
Your first “decent” gallery representation, how did it come about?
I walked into gallery after gallery until one said ‘yes’.
Was that a long process?
No it wasn’t long it is actually quite easy to get into a gallery there are hundreds of Artist run spaces who will take ‘anyone’ if you are not choosy. I don’t think gallery representation is a problem unless you get picky. So at the start anything will do, but then as you move on obviously you want a gallery who can do a bit more for you then just take your money. The idea is to simply “start somewhere “ and progress from there.
How did your first solo show go?
Great, thankfully…. which I guess encouraged me to go on…though in between I have had shows that weren’t so good…I remember having an opening night somewhere in the middle of winter where no one had turned up, I remember standing by myself freezing to death, because they had no heater and I was just determined to believe that this was not a problem…. just a stepping stone on the way to somewhere else…now if that had of been my first show who knows what my reaction would have been but I think by then I had enough behind me not to take it too badly…I couldn’t believe 6 months later the same gallery had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to show with them again!?
What caused you to choose the medium you currently work in?
Oil I guess It was just traditional…Also It was so difficult to grasp at the beginning it became like a challenge to master and then you just become addicted to finding out more and more of its properties and potentials etc.
Has your work changed much since your early efforts?
Certainly I feel there is a constant improvement and a constant evolution going on…though the more personal elements and the subject matter has remained exactly the same. But the way they are expressed is constantly evolving through practice and experimentation.
Have your artistic influences altered over time (e.g. artists.)
Yes. In the beginning – ( and it seems true for most artists I meet ) Salvador Dali was the main influence It was all Dali, Dali, Dali. Then there was a long Warhol period…but lately I am becoming more interested in artists who use paint in very unique and individual ways such as Ben McLaughlin, Rick Amor, John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler, Glenn Barr…
Do you get creative glimpses of urges happening and how do you work with these?
There is a constant process of looking, searching… always on the look out for the next ‘big thing’ ….some come to me on their own and others I discover for myself…” Do Not wait for inspiration…light out after it with a club!! “ Jack London. I mean everything can be inspiring if looked at in the right way…i.e. a Cézanne apple the most mundane of objects but to him the cornerstone of much of his work. So I think it is YOU who must be inspired and then it doesn’t really matter what the subject is.
Do you have a personal description of “Art”?
Art is music, poetry.
What happens to works that “don’t work out”?
Torn up or painted over.
The problem with the art scene today is…
Too many people just “ having- a- go “ I mean would you let someone ‘have-a-go’ at Brain Surgery? Or someone who has trained and practiced for ten years? There is a belief that art should be “ for everyone “ and “ anyone can do it “ but again… can just ANYONE do brain surgery?? I believe everyone has the potential to be an artist but they must get down to the business of it, not just a romanticised ideal of it. I mean its ok to express yourself and have a creative outlet but when that sort of work ends up in the gallery system… I…don’t know what to say? It’s like watching the Australian Idol try-outs. Also a lousy Doctor would be dismissed but a lousy painter can hang around for years.
One thing you wish you had listened to from an art teacher or lecturer?
“Spend more time in the studio“
Was there a big turning point in your art journey that caused you to think “it’s all worthwhile”, or “oh yeah I get it…”
Every couple of weeks there is a major turning point that I think is ‘THE’ one and then another even greater one occurs a week later that makes the first pale in significance so I now believe it may be a never ending process of revelation.
What would you say are the top three things, which make you successful as an artist?
Practice, Drive, Patience
Are there any books that have inspired your work as an artist?
Remembrance of Things Past. Marcel Proust.
Some say a measure of an artwork is the ability for it to hold a persons attention or cause the viewer to come back after an initial glance and become captivated by the work, is that so for your works or an intention of yours?
Certainly I think the measure of an artwork is its longevity and its timelessness
Do you have a connectedness to other art forms?
Yes Music, Poetry. I write a lot, I have been in several bands as a drummer and singer. (I attempted acting but …was quite hopeless at it!)
Some artists are more “at home” isolated in their creative process, while others revel in being part of a group to bounce “ideas off” how about you?
I need complete isolation. I don’t mind company but it can be a distraction. I don’t have a group of artists that I bounce ideas off. I am quite independent.
Can you describe your working process?
I am in the studio daily, sometimes with the weekend off. I have many more ideas than I could ever put down and it’s hard to decide which ones to do and which have to miss out…
Before I start I have sketches, drawings, watercolours, reference photos etc at hand. A lot of the finished painting is worked out well in advance of the execution.
In the early days I worked straight into the canvas sometimes without any reference material at all. The result was abstract and expressionistic, but it was also very hit and miss and perhaps because of this I began to spend more and more time on the planning, which slowly evolved into the way I work today.
What or how do you respond to the term “Starving Artist”?
I would rather starve as an artist than become wealthy doing something uncreative… but I think it is quite possible (not necessarily easy) to become a wealthy artist.
What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
If you’re going to do it, put everything into it and don’t look back.
Would you say your paintings reveal something private about yourself?
Yes: my work should be read in a psychological way where the work is the end product of my past experiences.
Is there any one thing that has given you a big buzz in your art career so far?
I remember doing an over the phone interview for a Brisbane newspaper while reclining in my boxer shorts and sipping champagne in a hotel room…feeling that perhaps I had achieved something…!
You know you are successful in Visual Arts when…
You create a painting, which completely blows your own mind and then wonder if it was you who actually did it?
Can you respond to this quote “Anyone who is half assed about art should get out.” (Janet Fish).
Yes
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Compiled and edited by Amanda van Gils © 2009+
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