Artist Statement
Making art affords me an offering of a potential justice toward a balance of "my being."
Occasionally, it ocurs to me how unusual, how useless, how very strange and impractical this activity of painting can be. Once into my work, however, all concern for practical matters quickly fade and I enter into what I might call a "now" consciousness, a "right action," or a being "one within myself," and nothing else matters.
W. Somerset Maugham said, " I know of no explanation, that the artist achieves their effect only when they do not intend it. His sermon is most efficacious even if he has no notion of preaching one. The bee produces wax for her own purposes and is unaware that man will put it to diverse uses."
The landscape and, in particular, the "scape of Ireland" have been a continuum in my life. If nothing else, landscape painting is an act of humility. A perpetual challenge attempting to capture some truth, which is simultaneously an impossibility. The "scape" serves as a metaphor of things felt, recalled, and realized. I have no stories to tell or messages to convey, nothing pedantic to preach, nor any astute concepts or theories. I am not intersted in being "new," and yet aware that I am "new." My only wish is to bring forth notations within the language of painting, while being completely absorbed by what I observe. It is my hope to make this "language" as transparently clear, simple, and sincere as possible.
Steck and Associates is proud to represent this accomplished and popular painter. We invite you to visit our web site www.steckfineart.com where other examples of his work can be seen. We may also contact us by email at jsteck@twcny.rr.com or phone 607.753.7150 if you are interested in receiving full color reproductions.