Newburyport Art presents a Featured Artist solo exhibition by Steve Carr: Places and Things Remembered. Steve is an award-winning painter who primarily focuses on acrylic and oil landscapes and seascapes. He and his wife were drawn to Newburyport in 2015 and he has been pulling inspiration from the town ever since. Steve’s love for the sea, combined with his architectural background, result in truly remarkable paintings. This collection of work, with subject matter drawn from all over the world, is on view in the NAA Hills Gallery.
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“I started painting when I retired in 2018 beginning with watercolors, then acrylics, finally transitioning to oil paints. The majority of my paintings are either land or seascapes. I have always been drawn to water and boating: rowing, sailing, canoeing, and kayaking. It was water – the Merrimack River and the ocean that drew my wife and I to Newburyport in 2015. And it is water that appeals to us at our summer camp on an island in the Belgrade Lakes of Maine.
I was not trained as a painter. As an Art and Architectural History major at Harvard College I studied thousands of works. I learned about composition by studying the artwork of the Masters. I also took drawing courses from Professors (and Artists) Paul Rotterdam and William Reimann. I was also a member of the Heavyweight Crew.
My love of water and my interest in architecture play a big part in my choice of subject matter for my artwork. I paint from photographs in my home studio, a few blocks from the NAA. I work too slowly to paint Plein Air with the changing light conditions. I often draw on photographs from my own travel adventures or from photographs of famous marine photographers like N.L. Stebbins for inspiration. Often before starting a painting I will sketch the subject with pen. This helps me solidify the composition and understand how the light is falling on the subject. I tend to work on small canvases and boards and include a lot of detail painted with fine brushes.
In addition to being a member of the Newburyport Art Association, I am a member of the Seacoast Artist Association (Exeter, NH) and the American Society of Marine Artists. My paintings have been exhibited in numerous NAA Juried and Holiday Shows, The Seacoast Artist Association, The Ipswich River Watershed Association, The Boothbay Region Art Foundation, The Exeter Inn, and The Cambridge Boat Club.. My painting titled “Sloop HAWK“ won the “Best in Show” award at the Seacoast Artist Association’s August 2022 show.
In addition to the title, medium, size, and date the labels on my paintings include a number. Each represents the order in which I created the paintings. I think you can see improvements my style and technique over the last 5 years with the newer (higher numbered) paintings. As of mid February 2023, thanks to the pandemic and an understanding wife, I have painted 166 paintings.
When I am not painting in Newburyport or at our camp in Maine, I am an Assistant Boy’s Crew Coach at Phillips Exeter Academy.
Thank you for viewing the show. You can see more of my paintings on my website, “The Paintings of S.E. Carr”, or on my Instagram, @stevecarr136. I am also available for commissioned works. Please contact me at: secarr136@gmail.com.
A Meet-the-Artist Reception will take place on Saturday, March 4th, from 4-6pm. The reception is free and open to the public with light refreshments provided!
