"Eric in White Scarf" by Alexey Steele 30 x 40
At the LA Art Show January 2012: Jeremy Lipking, Alexey Steele, Eric Rhoads, Tony Pro, and Joseph Tadoravich.
Alexey Steele is indescribable. No one I've ever met has his level of intelligence, exuberance, laughter, passion for art and music all rolled into one. He is multi-dimensional.
I had met Alexey a couple of years ago but was very aware of his painting and his passion, which he has exhibited at many events throughout the industry. His exuberance is sometimes misread because he tends to draw a lot of attention by being loud, laughing a lot and very commanding but his heart is golden.
Alexey grew up the son of an accomplished Russian painter. He studied in Russia at the institute following the traditional Russian Academic method, which gave him wonderful training. I was, therefore, anxious to be painted and to observe his process, which I suspected would be considerably different. I was also curious if he would maintain his high level of energy after a day of painting.
Brush fight. Alexey and Tony Pro.
I arrive at his warehouse studio in Torrance, which is enormous. Painting commenced after a couple of hours of chatter. I was posed on a high model stand, which Alexey copied after one designed by Repin. (It was practical with steps and edges so the chair would not slide off.) He had just received a new canvas (Raphael) which he was marveling over so I was the first painting done on this canvas, which has become his new standard. I was also an experiment with a new set of Charvin paints, which he tried for the first time on me (thanks to Jerry's Artarama). And Rosemary had just crafted some of her amazing brushes in extra long lengths so he can paint while standing at a distance, which is important when doing a giant piece.
Alexey multi-tasked the entire time. Painting while pontificating about art, life and while carrying on an extensive conversation. His energy level never died and we painted till all the light was lost. We resumed a second full day, then waited a few months and resumed for two more.
Painting at the LA Art Show FINE ART CONNOISSEUR Booth.
I was thrilled with the unique pose, the spirit he captured and the overall feel and quality of the painting. Though four days of sitting was hard to find and a rarity for me the outcome was nothing less than spectacular.
Chess anyone? Eric Rhoads, Richard Schmid and Alexey Steele at Alexey's studio.
A gathering of friends to paint on Eric Rhoads birthday (August 2011). Note portrait in the background at Alexey's studio.
On display at the LA Fine Art Show.
We displayed the painting (along with that of Tony Pro and Adrian Gotlieb) at the LA Fine Art Show in January 2012 and had Alexey paint on location. He drew a huge crowd (as did Tony Pro).
This time together drew Alexey and I especially close. One does not spend four days together without finding a lot of things to discuss. He is a brilliant man and his passion is unstoppable and I suspect he will play a significant role in the resurgence of realsism and history.