This website is the home for me- digital artist Steven Lareau.  I started out working with fractals back in the day when monitors only showed 16 colors, using a piece of free software a friend gave me called Fractint. Even then, with such primitive 286 computers, computers that didn’t even have a math co-processor, and equally primitive DOS software, I saw very early on that these fractals are magical things. I immersed myself in exploring everything I could, trying different software, different techniques, and eventually hit the wall, I’d done it all.

I discovered a piece of 3D landscape generating software called Bryce 2, and fell in love. Soon I abandoned the landscapes it could make, and explored the idea that you could do abstract art with it, something it was never designed to do.

Then, a few years ago, I came full circle- I found that fractal software had evolved into  some incredibly cool programs, and started to learn the in and outs of Apophysis, the software I use to explore, generate, and render flame fractals.

I have invested almost half my lifetime in teaching myself everything I know today. I’ve invested in computer systems that do nothing but sit in the corner and render artwork 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I own an wide format Epson printer, so now I can make my own prints in-house, with archival inks and papers, so your print will last a lifetime. I do my own mounting and framing, so I control every single aspect from start to finish, and if you buy one of my pieces of art, it is the best quality piece you could own.

Enjoy your visit here-

Steve

I’ve been hanging at Knoxiv studios during May and June, my 4th show on Market Square over the years. Here’s a couple of photos of Knoxiv.

I’ve launched a brand new website, one that I’ve been kicking around for quite a few years, and decided it was time to do it.
Artsy Mondays will have a brand new piece of artwork offered every Monday morning, and now you can buy a print, online, with more options on  canvas and paper types, mats, frames, and glazing than I could ever offer.  I’ve got a FREE desktop wallpaper for you in the first posting, so go grab it, then bookmark the site and check back every week, or add the RSS feed to your feed reader to keep up with the new releases.

EDITED: The Artsy Mondays site will no longer be updated, however you can pick up the artwork that was offered at the link just below.  Here’s the link to order prints on demand- Link

For a year or so, my artwork has had a permanent home at Owl Tree Gallery in Lenoir City. I’ve had everything that was available in their gallery, from prints large and small, trinket boxes with my artwork on the lid, framed and unframed prints, artist trading cards, laptop sleeves, note cards, the whole line.  I learned today that the gallery is closing around mid- February. So, once my work is pulled out of the gallery, it’ll be available for sale on this site.

It’s hard to say goodbye, Denice and Della had done an amazing  job, converting an old jewelry store into a gallery, which represented dozens of local artists, the cream of the crop. I’m honored to have been part of this gallery from day one, it was the first time I’ve had all my work on display in one place at the same time.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to see my work in person, head out to Owl Tree Gallery, and pick up some artwork while you’re there. Denice and Della- thanks for the ride, it was short, but it was mighty fun.

Ahh, I love the state of technology these days- I am now able to offer Keds sneakers with  my artwork on them.

Go take a look! LINK
More shoe types and designs coming soon.

To clarify, this CD release of artwork is NOT a screensaver. It is desktop wallpaper.

• A screen saver either blanks the screen during times of inactivity, or displays something that moves or changes often, to prevent screen burn in. I don’t think modern monitors are as susceptible to this as much as older monitors are, but screen savers are still something people use and enjoy.
• Desktop Wallpaper is a static image that you put on your operating system desktop, it’s what you see underneath all your icons.

This is a CD ROM filled with still images, to be used to decorate your desktop. Now, with that said, a few people have asked if you can use the bonus video I included on this CD as a screensaver, and the answer is yes. Do a Google search for Free Video Screensaver and you’ll find a bunch out there.

If you’re running Windows XP there’s a very cool goody you can download from Microsoft called Windows XP Creativity Fun Pack Power Toys. I’ve put a copy of this program here. Power Toys for XP

Simply create a directory on your hard drive and copy the video into that directory, then in the screen saver’s setup, point it to the video in that directory. This video on the CD has sound, but you can put a check in the check box in the screen saver setup to disable sound on playback. It’s pretty sweet.

This program also has a toy that will rotate your wallpaper for you. Again, create a directory on your hard drive, then copy the full sized images from the CD to that directory, then go into the setup for the screen saver and point it to that directory. It will rotate your wallpaper for you, it will put a new one on your desktop every day.

I am very happy to announce that you can find all of my available artwork in a brand new art gallery,  the Owl Tree Gallery,  located at 117 East Broadway in Lenoir City, TN.

I  have all my available work on display there, the gallery has it ALL  in one place, from framed and matted prints, artist trading cards, note cards, trinket boxes, everything.

They also have the brand new CD release of my artwork, which is designed to be used as computer desktop wallpaper or in your digital photo frame. See an earlier post with details on what this CD release is all about.

You can find information on Owl Tree Gallery on their new web site.

EDIT: This CD is now out of print, no more will be made available.

am finally finished with a project that’s been a couple of years in the making. I am offering a CD filled with selections of my artwork, to use as computer desktop wallpaper, or to use in your digital photo frame.

There are 365 images contained on this CD, there’s enough artwork to have an original piece of artwork, every single day, for an entire year. Click this image for the full sized preview.

Here's the artwork for the CD.

You can see thumbnails of every piece of artwork that’s on this CD here.
Read the rest of this entry »

As promised, here’s better images of the latest set of Artist Trading Cards I’ve released.

These are bright and colorful pieces, they almost seem to glow on this high end watercolor paper.

Click this image to load the full sized preview image.

Each of these designs have a total edition of 9. Once all 9 pieces of each design is sold out, there will be no more released at ACEO size.

All but Blue Feathers 1 are earlier pieces, which have almost become standards that people recognize in galleries when I’m showing.

To those of you local to Knoxville, you may know of the monthly event, the first Friday of every month, where galleries and other businesses remain open later than usual, and welcome visitors to see displays of artwork from regional artists. It’s a great excuse to head downtown and take in a little culture.

I found it difficult to locate schedules of who was showing, where they were showing, or even a list of businesses that participate in First Friday, so I built a web site to serve as a central clearing house for this sort of information. It’s new, and there’s more work that needs to be done, but it’s up and running, so pop in and take a look around.

Eventually, it’ll serve to connect artists, galleries, and the public, with what’s going on in the art community in Knoxville. If you’ve got information that would benefit being on this new site, use my contact form to get in touch with me.

KnoxvilleFirstFriday.com