Archive for the ‘News’ Category

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.

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

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

I just got home from my opening at Three Flights Up tonight, and it was a great time. I met a lot of cool people, and talked with quite a few people that know what fractals are, which was a treat. There’s not many people that know about these magical things, so it’s always cool to find someone I can talk shop with, it doesn’t happen very often.

For those of you looking for the software I use to create my fractal artwork, you can find it here. It’s a free, open source program, and I think you’ll find it just as much fun to work with as I do.

For those of you looking for my main online galleries, you’ll find them at my other site, Hilltop Design. Here’s a direct link to the galleries, there’s plenty of artwork online to keep you busy for hours.

Thanks to everyone that came out tonight to see my artwork, it was great being able to answer your questions about something I’m so passionate about.

Feel free to use the contact form here with any further questions or comments, I love hearing from people.

Wow, it’s already 2008. This year has flown by so fast I’m having trouble believing it’s actually gone by this quickly.

I’ve been mighty busy creating new artwork, I’ve been branching out into some crazy cool directions. As a matter of fact, I got so tied up in the creative process that I’ve neglected this site and my main web site. I’m revamping how I’m going about listing the pieces that are available, and will be streamlining the galleries.

Due to popular request, I’m about to release small pieces, 4×6 5×7 inch prints, matted and nicely framed in an 5×7 8×10 frame. This will serve a few purposes:

• For those with limited budgets, it’s an easier way to own a favorite piece.
• It’ll be cool for those with limited wall space, including your office or cubicle.

I’m going to be printing a huge variety of images at this size, so now you could pick up a few favorite pieces and display them as a grouping, or spread them throughout your home.

I’ve got a gallery showing coming up April May 2008 at Three Flights Up in Knoxville, and I’m hoping to get a large number of these pieces printed and framed for this show. It’ll be a nice grouping and a good representation of my work. I’m really excited to get going on this, it should be cool.

I’ve done a great deal of experimenting printing at this size, and I’m getting great looking results with these smaller pieces. Stay tuned for the new pieces as they’re released- sign up for my newsletter to insure you’ll be the first to see these new pieces.

For those fancy people out there with iPhones, I’ve put together some free wallpaper to use on your newfangled iPhone gadgets. I’ll be adding to this collection, but this should get you off to a nice start. Link

There’s a new place on Market Square, downtown Knoxville, called Abode. During the month of July, I’ll be the featured artist, my first solo show, and I’ll have a few brand new pieces. Some of my newer pieces will be one offs, they’re signed and dated and marked 1/1. The prints with that numbering system are being treated as an original piece of artwork, a one of a kind. Opening night, the first Friday of July, I’ll be at Abode between 6 – 9 PM.

First Friday is a monthly event- galleries stay open late, and it’s a chance to gallery hop to see the new pieces of artwork brought in each month, as well as a chance to meet the artists. So if you’re in the area, stop by and say hi.

Here’s a sneak peek of four of the newest pieces I’ll be debuting at Abode. They’re the first four images in this gallery.