Stephen Morath – Biographical Info
For over thirty years I have painted scenes from all over the Southwest. My pictures rarely represent an actual place, but rather a place as I think it should be. They are often nostalgic, sometimes “cartoony”, sometimes quite naturalistic. Mainly I paint northern New Mexico and southern Arizona; but the extremes of my interest range from the frosty peaks of Colorado to the shores of the desert sea in Baja California, and all the wide open spaces in between. I am drawn not only to the beauties but also the oddities of the Southwest – the outrageous topography, the tourist traps, the honky-tonk strips, the old motel signs, the clash of cultures, the places where Indian America meets the science fiction of the ‘Fifties; as well as the pueblos, the sparkling deserts, the blue ranges, the birds in the morning…I prefer the rural countryside to the unpopulated wilderness, and rarely paint a landscape without some kind of human activity or artifact in it. Indeed, some of my paintings are crowded with non-landscape elements. Often, my paintings exhibit a touch of humor; others I paint to evoke cosmic feelings; still others are complex displays of fruit and vegetables. I like to paint figures, which so far have not featured prominently in my paintings; but I see my work moving in the direction of more figures and more realism. I am especially fond of small towns, back roads, and blue highways, where old trucks, lowriders, and airstream trailers can be found; and life goes on in a timeless way.
I am a third-generation native of Colorado, married, and the father of four. I studied and spent some time back East in my early days; otherwise, I have been a lifelong resident of Colorado, although a frequent visitor to, and lover of, New Mexico and Arizona. I and my wife, and formerly our now grown-up children, live in a ramshackle Victorian at the foot of Pikes Peak, surrounded by gardens and fruit trees. Besides painting, my main interests are high-country hiking, contra dancing, the performance of choral music, and trips to Europe and Mexico.
I paint almost exclusively in acrylics. Besides easel paintings, I have completed three public art projects in Denver, and in 2010 completed a great mural painting in a local church. My paintings have been featured on a number of products for many years including poster prints, greeting cards, jigsaw puzzles, and tee shirts.
Exhibition history: I have exhibited paintings continuously in Scottsdale, Arizona since 1984. During that time I have also shown at various galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico and in Colorado; but Scottsdale has remained my major retail focus. The Colorado Springs Fine Art center owns one of my paintings.So does the Albuquerque Museum of Art.
Stephen Morath, Painter. An interview
What is your artistic background? I have been a full time artist since 1984. Attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Tufts University. BFA 1979
What mediums do you work in? Mostly acrylic paint on canvas
How has your work evolved over time? My paintings have gotten more realistic, and at the same time, more impressionistic, as I move more and more from a hard-edge, cartoony, made up realism to something taken more from actual observation, as well as paintings involving more figures, and backgrounds that do not show real space.
Who are some of your influences? Early in my career, American Regionalist Painters of the ‘30s, and Early Renaissance Painting (both of which I still like and admire). Later, Eastern Realism of the 70s, Baroque Painting, Caravaggio, Impressionists. A mixed bag, I admit.
How would you describe your work? Southwestern Landscapes, generally containing some kind of cultural elements, particularly old cars. I love the old two lane hiways and small towns of the past. I paint scenes from the mountains of Colorado, where I live, down through New Mexico, west through Indian Country on Route 66, the big cactus deserts of Arizona, and south of the border to the Sea of Cortez. I have always described my work as kind of cartoony, because it’s made-up scenes, hard edges, sometimes sort of humorous. I’m usually not trying to be really funny, though, as much as just to leave the viewer with a good feeling. There’s definitely some nostalgia and romance in my work, too. Also, I have painted some still life paintings, some rather large, because I really like fruits and vegetables. Recently, some of my larger and more complex paintings have a mythological element, you might say.
What is your creative process? Get an idea and start sketching it out. Supporting the idea with drawings made from life or photos generally follows the original sketch. Even when painting from life I often alter the scene quite a bit. Sometimes I will have an idea that takes a couple years to really work out and finish. Even with a fairly realistic painting I usually start with a detailed drawing, then expand it to the size of the painting by means of a grid. I always paint on a toned ground, usually burnt sienna and a little purple. I used mostly bristle brushes as one would with oils, but I still paint kind of thinly. I usually use glazes for really strong color.
How long does it take you to create a piece? Depends on the size and type of painting; generally about two weeks. With a painting taken more from life and more impressionistic, less time. I have worked almost two months on my most complex painting; and longer on the few public art projects I’ve worked on. I usually work on more than one painting at a time.
What are some of the unique considerations and complications involved with your particular artwork? I can’t really think of any. My media are pretty straightforward. I’ve been painting for a long time and am pretty used to the routine. As one gets older – I’m just 60 – one does have a need for one’s work to evolve and change, which is sometimes difficult when people want you to paint the same thing with which they are already familiar…on the other hand, sometimes I do go back to the same ideas from 20 years ago and try a new approach. But I am sure most artists work the same way.
Is there anything else you would like to add about your work? I definitely plan on developing a body of work that looks different from what people are used to – more figurative, more impressionistic – I want to enjoy the paint itself more. But I anticipate that these paintings will coexist with my more usual nostalgic Southwestern stuff.
Where can your work currently be viewed? Wilde-Meyer Galleries, Scottsdale and Tucson, Arizona