Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Newman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Like most people in the creative field I learn visually. As a child I connected to the world around me by drawing. School was difficult for me unless I could turn the subject or assignment into a visual problem. My parents took me to the Art Institute of Chicago and I remember being filled with excitement and wonder!
After a mission and graduation from BYU with a BFA, my career began as a graphic designer. I went from small graphic design firms to the more lucrative advertising direction. I’ve worked on print and TV advertisements for large companies and was thrilled to work with Industrial Light and Magic shortly after the Star Wars movie launched. We created ads for the Intel Corp. flying through a computer.
Professionally my career titles have been; graphic designer, art director, creative director at EURO RSCG in Portland, Oregon and lastly, VP of creative at O.C. Tanner. O.C. Tanner being the pinnacle of my joy professionally. It’s a truly wonderful company.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think life is designed to be smooth in any way. I was fired from my first job right out of school and again at 56 years old. Those events really brought me to my knees. At the same time it made me a workaholic determined not to have that happen again. Throughout my career I sometimes found myself in the position of letting other people go and I felt a real compassion for what they were going through because of my own experience.
In my personal life my 24-year marriage ended. I quickly remarried and that also ended four years later, so finding my wife Patrice has blessed me with some greatly needed emotional peace and stability! We’ve enjoyed fifteen years together.
The year of Covid was disturbing because of the virus but mostly the violence in the nation rocked me. I was newly retired so everything in life was weird. I used the solitude of isolation to produce work that was probably more therapy than anything. So as you can see, my life’s path has included the mortal experiences of mission, marriage, births, deaths, illness, divorce and job loss. Each one has a profound influence on me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a Gospel Doctrine teacher, I often found myself teaching with visuals, some of which I drew. I liked trying to portray gospel principles visually and my church audience seemed to connect as well.
I enjoy creating spiritual art that doesn’t shout its religiosity. To someone not familiar with religion or the scriptures it might just look like an interesting design but to the spiritually aware person, it can be recognized as a visual metaphor or parable that points to a scriptural story or an eternal truth. This kind of work allows me to share my testimony freely without worrying about offense.
I’m proud of my painting “Living Water” which is being shown at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints art and history museum’s international show. Each show has a theme that is so very relevant to our time. The theme for that competition was “All are alike unto God”. I was shocked to get into the show because my art is more abstract and contemporary, neither of which I associate with art typically seen in our church. I was even more shocked and honored that the church bought the painting!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
When I was a young married man, I would check out prints of master paintings from the public library to hang art in our home. One time I saw an amazing show in the library by a new young graduate named Brian Kershisnik. It was unlike any other art I had seen. Simple, powerful and concept-driven. I still study Brian’s work today and admire his thinking and concepts.
Alex Darias was a powerful art professor at BYU who taught us to see and think differently. On the first day of class, he went to the chalkboard and drew a giant eye. He proclaimed that our mission was to “develop a unique view of the world through the eyes of an artist”. Brother Darais was a talented and amazing teacher. On that note another professor at BYU comes next to mind.
Wulf Barsch taught a lab class that was four hours long 2x a week. One day he handed each of us a one-inch piece of fabric and told us that the next four lab classes would have this fabric as our subject. Students came with large magnifying glasses and thread by thread rendered their little square of fabric. As students often do, we were heavily influenced by each other’s approach. At the end of the 16 hours, we were all exhausted and everyones work looked similar! The next class, Professor Barsch placed each finished piece on the chalk tray at the front of the room and carefully, silently studied each one as he placed them one by one. Then he turned around and walked back in the opposite direction and flipped each piece on to the floor and walked upon each one. He then turned to the class and said, “If this represents your creative effort, I would advise you to buy a camera”. That’s when it hit me, Alex Darias taught us to see and interpret the world differently! See more deeply and express it passionately. We all failed at that fabric square assignment but few of us will ever forget that lesson. To see and interpret the world through the eyes of an artist is still my mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: stevenewmanart.com
- Instagram: @stevenewmanartist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.newman.3557
Image Credits
“Naaman” photograph by David Hawkinson
“Watching” image by David Hawkinson
