Meredith Steele
STATEMENT
The inspiration for my work is not complicated. I see ideas for paintings during dog walks around my Oakland neighborhood, quick runs to the grocery store, or while waiting in my car at an intersection. During these mundane activities, I catch the glimpse of a shape, then a relationship of shapes, and the way sunlight falls and casts layers of shadows across them. The Bay Area is a special place to be a painter. I regularly examine subtle textures and muted hues in the surrounding hillsides as well as value patterns in facades of convenience stores.
Once I am working on a painting, I become interested in the microcosm of the work, allowing little bits of color to pop through as I apply thin layers of acrylic onto the surface. I encourage the viewer to get up close to the paintings and look for high intensity hues that peek through in my attempts to bring a robust, possibly unpredictable, quality to the everyday subjects.
I am indebted to the rich history of Bay Area painting. Although I studied art in the south, I have always been inspired by the reverence for light and hints of inventive color that other great Bay Area painters have expertly employed. While refining my process over the years, these approaches have edged their way into my own vocabulary of painting.
About
I grew up in North Carolina and relocated to Oakland in 2009. I am an artist and educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design and a Master of Fine Arts from Winthrop University. I live in Oakland’s Glenview neighborhood with my daughter and my silly pup, Ferris.
