by Ian P. E.
Dont ever give up your scoops!! | 18” x 24”
Mixed Paint Media and Black Pastel on Canvas
The most curious aspect of Steve Ehret’s work is the storylines going on in the background. There’s this whole strange other world of pissed-off monsters and worker eggs that he’s created. And from the sound of things, this world will keep growing and evolving on its own terms – the rules and actions changing in response to the personalities, dictated by the characters themselves…doubt he really has any idea where it will lead. It’s a great example of art gaining a life of its own and taking the artist along for the ride.
Steve’s a self-taught artist, his style can be summed up as graffiti influenced, cartoony, and off the freaking wall…he uses a lot of different materials for these – ink, watercolor, acrylic, spray paint, coffee…whatever’s available (Blood? Pizza sauce? Fire?). He’s not afraid to get weird.
I was first introduced to his art at an opening (which also featured the work of Ron Copeland and Webs) over at Low Life Gallery in Cleveland this past Spring. Which, he’s been pretty busy showing around, even exhibiting at 111 Minna in San Francisco…and his art was also recently featured by a pretty cool (and large) new online magazine from the U.K. – L.S.D. (London Street-Art Design).
Steve will be part of the upcoming “Stark Naked Salon” exhibition at the Massillon Museum, which opens on August 22nd. It’s nice to see a museum supporting their local, emerging talent for a change, as the show will be displaying the work of quite a few innovative artists from the Stark County area. More of Steve’s art is online at lbstrclws.com or myspace.com/mnstrrrrr.
Spooked | 30” x 24” | Oil on canvas
ARE THE OILS NEW, OR HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THEM FOR A WHILE?
No, actually I just started. I took a lot of time to really figure things out. I’ve been doing acrylics for about 4 years now. I don’t know why, but right after I started doing acrylics, I started getting shows, so then I never had time to pause and learn oil. I had a show every couple of months, so I couldn’t stop, I needed to produce, so I just kept doing acrylic. It was good, because I learned a ton. But then I had a little break to learn oil when I came back from San Francisco in April.
YOU HAD A SHOW OUT THERE RIGHT?
Yeah, it was a group show at this gallery called 111 Minna.
Ohio’s Burning | 24″ x 18″ |
Ink, Watercolor, Acrylic, Coffee, Marker, Spray Paint, Bugs & Grass on Paper
OH, THAT’S A GREAT PLACE, I USED TO GO THERE ALL THE TIME…HAVE YOU EVER COME ACROSS SOME ATTITUDE FROM GALLERIES BECAUSE YOU’RE FROM MASSILLON, OHIO?
Not to my face. But I’ve had people say – “we love your art, we’ll put you in a group show”…and then they’re like – “where are you from?”…and I’ll say – “Ohio”…then never hear from them again. That’s happened a couple times.
HAVE YOU GONE TO ART SCHOOL OR ARE YOU SELF-TAUGHT?
As far as canvas work, I’m completely self-taught. I took my first “Drawing 1” class this semester at a local community college. Other than that, I’ve really never been taught anything. I just kind of go with it.
Catch and Feast | 16” x 11”
Coffee, Ink, Paint Marker on Watercolor Paper
THAT’S USUALLY HOW A UNIQUE STYLE DEVELOPS…
I think it’s the best way to do things. It’s hard work. It takes a lot longer to learn things. It probably helps that I’m super hard on myself. Every painting I get done, a day later I’m like – “eh, I don’t know how I feel about you anymore”…I could have done this better, I could have done that…but that’s how you get better. You can have confidence in your work, but if you think that your stuff is the best that anyone’s seen, then you’re not going to really progress as fast as you can.
WHAT ABOUT CHARACTERS…DO YOU HAVE A REVOLVING CAST OF CHARACTERS THAT YOU BRING IN AND OUT?
Kind of. I get in weird modes with characters. I have A.D.D. with them…I get bored and never quite do them the same.
A discovery of sorts | 18” x 24” | Oil on panel
THE EGG GUY SEEMS TO GET AROUND THOUGH…
He’s part of the paintings. I just like throwing eggs in, because I started a whole storyline about 2 or 3 years ago. The eggs aren’t really the main focus of the painting…this may sound kind of weird, but I wanted them to be just in the painting doing things. Like for some paintings I’ve had them building fences, they’re almost like workers for me. They do random stuff. Sometimes they’re just hanging out. Other times they’re doing something horrible. I have control over what they do…so they’re going to help me out, they’re going to build this thing…and it kind of gives it a little atmosphere.
And then there’s the balloons. I started thinking…once an egg has three balloons, it’s free to do whatever it wants. It can leave, or it can hang out, do whatever it wants…but until it gets the three balloons, it has to stick around and do work – and if it’s lazy then it won’t get any balloons. I hope to keep running with it and then eventually do rotting eggs – those are the bad ones that steal stuff…and keep building on it so by the time I’m 50, there will be some crazy shit going on. It’ll be like a whole long story, and when I die and people see it all…they’ll be like – “I never knew”.
Slipping | 15” x 11”
Watercolor, Ink, Fire, Smoke and Wax on Watercolor Paper
WHAT ABOUT THE SQUID MONSTER?
I did a couple here and there. But then this year, has been the year of the squid. I don’t know why, it’s not even like that’s what I want to do exactly. But then I’ll get an email from like Bob Peck or someone, and they’ll be like – “We got this huge wall, and we want you to do a character that’s massive and can take up a bunch of space”. And I’m thinking – “well, what else can I do that will really wrap things together other than a squid of some sort”.
Kill em all, ask questions never | 15” x 11”
Acyrlic, Watercolor, Ink, Coffee on Paper
