Steve Alpert is a seasoned multi-talented and multi-faceted artist I met some years ago (2015) on the International Art Fair Circuit. I have followed him ever since as he is one fine artist to watch, and he has not disappointed. Follow me on this journey, and I promise that you will not be disappointed, either. No matter what your style of interest in art is, Steve has likely mastered it. From landscapes and nature, to abstracts and portraiture, Alpert has a distinct style that is uniquely his own, yet powerfully portrayed through each individual genre and painting he takes on.
We start with his story, in his own words:
“Putting paint on canvas is everything to me. The images I make in oil paint are my ambassadors of love, honor and respect for all life. The surface of the canvas is the focal point of my hopes, dreams, aspirations. It is that precise place in the physical world where I express my deepest passions for the beauty of this Earth. Communicated through the layers of ground up minerals are images that bring honor and respect to the lionhearted individuals who serve others, extolling the virtues of ordinary people who deliberately put themselves into extraordinary circumstances”.
Alpert is a native New Yorker who worked for many years as a television editor/producer/director before turning to painting full-time. Trading in one form of storytelling (as a television producer) for another (painting), Alpert’s artwork covers a wide range of subject matter including: land/sea/skyscapes, military, abstract and portraiture. He describes himself as a non-conformist who draws from many different moments in his life that have inspired and shaped his work. “Painting is my reverie, my serenity, my never-ending pursuit of who I am”.
Although widely known for his Contemporary American Military paintings, which we will explore in greater detail in a future blog post, Steve is currently much more focused on a new series of Abstract Paintings. This series is so different from his military series, I asked him what inspired him to move in this direction with his work.
Following is his response:
Steve Alpert, Abstract Statement
When I first began painting more than 50 years ago, it was all about free form fun; putting marks, lines, washes of color on paper and then canvas. I would always be surprised to see what would happen. An adventure.
I came to learn this way of working is called non-objective painting. Early on I had a mentor/ college professor, Alan Atwell, who reinforced this method of painting. Atwell would talk about how this is one true way to make paintings that are completely unique and original. Listening to Atwell talk about painting was like jet fuel to me. Even still today.
Over the decades I have worked in landscape, portraiture, and making paintings that honor the men and women in uniform in the U.S. Armed Forces. These paintings are all very specific. Although there is a certain degree of improvisation within the structure of these images that are designed to tell a specific story, there is a definite expectation that these images will conform to the specific story to be told.
Abstract is the exact opposite. I would suppose there are painters who set out to create a specific concept in their abstract paintings, employing design and composition of definite and chosen elements and to a certain degree I will approach a free canvas with maybe a loose idea, but maybe not. A couple of years ago as I was completing a series of (12) portraits for a specific project, it occurred to me that I wanted to throw the reins off and let myself completely go. I began to ask myself what painting abstract would be like at this point in my evolution. To begin a canvas with a slash, a line, a wash, keep working and see where the paint would take me. What would that be like?
Last year I jumped in despite the fact that there is portrait of a very important American fellow that I want to and will paint someday soon. But for now, this gentleman has to wait.
Abstract for me now is the true definition of total freedom in making art. I find that all the years of painting come into play, that the 10,000 hours I have put in are all right there at my fingertips. Like the jazz musicians who know the song but are free to fly around the room improvising off the theme, creating other themes on the fly and improvising on them!
Hoisting up a fresh blank canvas on the easel… I cannot wait to get at it. Squeeze out a variety of colors that attract me in the moment and start getting them on the canvas. Also drawn to using palette knives instead of brushes. It’s all new to me. And very exciting.
Alpert’s Abstract paintings may be new to him, but they do not impart the technique or experience of a “new” painter. Perhaps a new ‘genre’ for an experienced and prolific artist to which he brings as much passion and expression to as his previous genres. These paintings exhibit opulent layers of color that melt into one another, often exploding from the canvas in sumptuous textures created with the broad strokes of a paintbrush or, more often, through the flick of a wrist with a palette knife.
Following are just a few of the impressions his paintings have left with his audience:
“I have had the great honor of knowing and selling Steve Alpert’s fine artwork for many years. He is a true American treasure with boundless talent and expression. Steve’s unique paintings convey beautiful stories and moments in time that are atmospheric and spiritual in nature. His paintings are filled with soulful and Zen-like emotions that one can appreciate at the highest level.”
—DAVID GRISWOLD, Art appraiser/Owner, Beacon Fine Arts Gallery Red Bank, NJ
“Steve’s paintings are an atmospheric immersion of abstract cloudscapes, seascapes and landscapes. The intensity of his color choices creates positive energy which is why Steve is very popular with my clients at Sorokin Gallery.”
—CAROLE SOROKIN, Owner, Sorokin Gallery Greenwich, CT
“Steve Alpert is an amazing artist with an extreme sensitivity to the subtlety of color and how it impacts the viewer. We are fortunate to have several of his works including the most magnificent landscape painted in Ireland that truly underscores his talent as a painter and his acute sense of the awesome beauty of nature.”
—MARIA REEVES HAYES, Art Collector/VP, CEO Communications and CEO Events, IBM
Alpert’s paintings are best experienced in person. If the images you see onscreen intrigue you, I would strongly encourage you to see his work at any of the following venues:
108 Main Street #2
Westhampton Beach, NY 11978
631-275-8148
Opening Exhibition, Saturday, May 25th 2024, 4-6pm
Hamptons Fine Art Fair, July 11th – 14th 2024
Steve will be represented by Art Blend at the Hamptons Fine Art Fair in July.
Alpert is also represented by:
Sorokin Gallery, Greenwich, CT
Beacon Fine Arts Gallery, Red Bank, NJ
Gallery 52, Mamaroneck, NY
As well, you may also see more of his work and learn more about his process through his website and social media, Steve Alpert Art and Instagram.
