This month we are featuring Steve Moen for the Capitol Hill Art League’s Mind of the Artist series. Read Steve’s story and check out his artwork below.

You can view more of Steve’s artwork here:

Steve Moen – My Path
Painting for me is a place to go, like a favorite path in the forest, where I can
follow my curiosity. A few steps in and wonder appears. Soon after that I find
my friend passion.

I discovered this path in my late teens and have been walking it ever since, I
added to my knowledge at whatever venues were available, wherever I
happened to be at the time, including:
The University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.
The Art Students League, New York, NY
The Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA
Numerous Workshops from artists like Wolf Kahn, Janet Fish, Charles Reid.

Painting for me has always been a meditative process. The opportunity to get
away, to be in the moment. That alone is invaluable.

A common thread in my art is the exploration of the rhythms of nature, the
rhythms inside and out. To ponder the evolution of all things: the earth, with its
geographical history, animals, plants, and fungi. Each opens the door of
wonder.

As I do this I put a heavy emphasis on design and color. I am fascinated by the
sense of sight (visual perception) as well as the physics of light (how the visual
magnetic spectrum moves through the atmosphere). From there I can play with
color juxtapositions and design on the canvas or on paper if painting with
watercolor. Poetry is part of my process and I favor the simple seventeen
syllable haiku format. Engaging the sense of sound, and reflecting upon the
literal and figurative content of a few words helps to focus my attention on the
emotional qualities of a painting.

At this time my focus has been on mark making and color juxtapositions
inspired by nature. My themes ponder relative time. Ancient time against
temporal moments.

My work can be small like a study on a 6” X 6 1/2” piece of tin flashing. Or, it
could be quite large with dimensions over 4 feet. Most of my work is in oil but
am also getting back to watercolor. When I show my work I like to place a small
work next to a large work to bring out the size contrast.

September 30 and October 1 I’ll be having a show at the Yellow Barn at Glen
Echo. I’ll be showing with Leni Paquet Morante. We are both inspired by nature
with a focus on the poetic use color, form and mark making. We both create all aspects of a finished work of art, from building the stretcher and stretching the canvas to crafting floater frames that house the finished work of art.

Website: stevemoen.com
Instagram: @stevemoen9