Steve Close works in various drawing media, watercolor and acrylic. He enjoys the spontaneity of plein air painting focusing on the compositions and values of light seen in nature but often takes those studies back to the studio to explore the abstraction of nature through shape and color.
Close’s work can be found in many private collections and limited edition prints have been created from many of his paintings. These include historical images for the LaGrange Chamber of Commerce and the Okeechobee Chamber of Commerce. A set of four images for Hills and Dales and an old fashion St. Nickolas image that was included in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalogue.
A graduate of Troy State University with a BS in Art Education has led Close through a twenty-five year career as an art educator instructing students from kindergarten through adults in the realm of all art mediums.
“Being an art educator for over 30 years has helped me develop an appreciation for various styles of art. I find abstract to tightly rendered illustrations to be inspiring if the work has the “wow” factor. That “wow” factor is what I am constantly trying to create and that is what keeps me painting. Currently, I am working to create paintings that have a combination of interest in subject matter and surface quality.”
Close continues to teach and resides in LaGrange, Georgia with his wife Donna, when he is not painting at his family home in Highlands, North Carolina.
