Roxanne Steed
Artist's Statement

Home schooling my daughters encouraged me to renew my childhood love of art. "Mom, teach us to draw" became the motivation to rededicate myself to drawing and painting. As a Navy wife for over twenty-five years, I have been able to live in some of the most beautiful towns on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as travel to Hawaii, Singapore, Italy, France, England and Ireland. I've pursued my formal art education along the way at Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, CT; The Art League School in Alexandria, VA; and Watts Atelier in Encinitas, CA.

My art is about seeing the affect that light (or lack of it) has on color. Light is what allows us to see the beauty that surrounds us everyday. The works of the American Impressionists have had a great influence on my work, particularly those of New England and California. Figurative works by William Merritt Chase and Childe Hassam as well as landscapes by William Wendt and Granville Redmond have fueled my imagination.

There is nothing quite so satisfying as painting from life in the great outdoors.    I find the textural quality of paint an exciting element of painting as much as design, composition, and color.  Evoking an emotional response to a 'sense of place' is a great thrill for me.   I use palette knife by itself or in a combination with a variety of brushes to reach my desired aim in my paintings.

What do I love in a painting?  One that is compositionally strong - that will draw me in from across the room....rewarding me when I am close up to it with an interesting finish; a wow-factor of that last wonderful detail.  Done, but not "done to death". 


Professional affiliations include:
Oil Painters of America
Mystic Art Center
CT Plein Air Painters Society
DailyPainters.com