Artist: Steve Stento
Title: Colors of Portofino
Edition Size: 17/50
Medium: Watercolor (Giclee)
Framed Dimensions: 50"x42" (Available in Various Sizes)
Retail Price: $2,500.00
About the Art: This watercolor was inspired during a trip Stento took to Italy in 2007.
About the Artist: Steve painted his first watercolor in 1995, and has been enthralled with the medium ever since. “Watercolor is magical. It has a translucence and vibrancy that I find endlessly appealing.”
He skillfully puts that vibrancy to work, creating paintings that are powerfully realistic, and yet also bright and colorful. This colorful realism, combined with dynamic compositions and a strong sense of light and shadow, leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.
Stento’s primary goal is to capture scenes of timeless beauty. His current body of work reflects the sights he encountered during a month-long trip to Italy and a recent trip to the south of France. He finds the warm, vibrant scenes of life near the Mediterranean to be the perfect inspiration.
“It was truly an amazing experience. Italy and France are place where art, history, and beauty are so pervasive in daily life that one’s creative soul can not help but be stirred.”
A native of Virginia, Stento studied drawing a Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond before moving to Arizona in 1990. Since being exposed to the wonders of watercolor in 1995, he studied the like of nationally known artists Tom Hill, Diane Maxey, and Carol Orr. His work has recently been featured in The Artist’s Magazine, International Artists magazine, as well as Splash 7, and Splash 8, compilation books of today’s best watercolors. Steve is a signature “Coatimundi” member of the Arizona Watercolor Association (www.watercolor.org) and a juried member of the Sonoran Arts League (www.sonoranartsleague.org).
Awards
Finalist, International Artist Magazine Painting Challenge N. 15, Seascapes, Rivers, and Lakes. June 2003
First Place Cover Winner, North Light Magazine’s Annual Cover Contest, November 2002
Featured Poster Artist, La Jolla Festival of Fine Art, June 2003
Finalist & Inclusion in 2003 Calendar, 9/02, The Artist’s Magazine International Art Competition
Best of Show, November 2000. Arizona Watercolor Association Fall Exhibition
Finalist & Inclusion in 2001 Calendar, 9/200, The Artist’s Magazine International Art Competition (13,000+ entries)
First Place-Watermedia, February 2002; “The Best and Brightest”, Scottsdale Artists’ School