Award-winning artist and NAPA (National Acrylic Painters’ Association) member, Steve Miles, has new solo exhibition at Quay Arts running until 24th September 2022.
RE:EMERGE presents recent and new artworks featuring the Isle of Wight artist’s signature layered technique, abstract shapes and vibrant colours.
Click on images to see larger versions
Independent Creative Producer and Cultural Consultant, Georgia Iona Newman, comments,
“Steve’s paintings show much complexity and edge but also beauty. The fluidity of his work, makes every single painting unique.”
Clear roots in the world of graffiti
The street-infused abstract contemporary paintings have evolved from the artist’s beginnings in graffiti and street art in the 1980s, when he created large-scale works under the tag Toxic363.
Steve’s introduction to graffiti came through a magazine feature on the Bronx ‘writer’ Brim Fuentes, the founding member of graffiti crew TATS CRU. Steve explains,
“I was really into drawing, so I started to get into the Graff, practicing my own letters every day at school and often into the early hours of the morning at home, I was hooked like some kind of Alphabet junkie”
Graphic and videogame design
Having worked in the traditional world of print after leaving school, the natural progression was for Steve to study graphic design, which he did at Stourbridge Art College. Moving from print into the emerging digital landscape, Steve developed his skills further and progressed into videogame design.
He now works for Stainless Games on the Isle of Wight in this cutting-edge creative industry.
Street artist, Remi Rough, comments,
“Steve’s work has shades of graffiti style writing and urban textures but it has grown into a mature painting practice and a true pleasure to feast your eyes upon.”
The transition from walls to canvas
Moving from large scale graff on outside walls to developing his creative practice on canvas was not an easy transition, but Steve persisted.
Steve explained,
“After spending decades painting Graffiti on a large scale, I decided that I wanted to make the transition from wall to canvas. Creating works that would normally be several feet high to smaller canvases proved trickier than I had first realised, and it became obvious that this was not going to work!
“With an awareness that I needed to free myself from what I knew and train myself to look and paint in a different, more abstract and fluid way. I began to experiment by moving my hand and creating the same movements and gestures that I would normally use when painting a large piece of graffiti. Without consciously drawing any letter or outline for a letter, I was able to create, generate and capture the same emotions and movements of my graffiti style.
“Once this technique started to feel more natural to me, I was able to simplify the movements and create patterns and shapes onto canvas that looked and felt right. More importantly, this new technique still captured the essence of my years spent painting large Graffiti Works on walls.”
Visit the exhibition and you can also purchase the 36-page booklet produced by Steve Miles (£10).
Where and when
You can see Steve work for yourself by visiting RE:EMERGE in The West Gallery at Quay Arts Centre, Little London, Newport
The gallery is open seven days a week from 9am – 5pm. The show closes on Saturday 24th September 2022.
Find out more
You can find out more about Steve Miles by visiting his Website, or following him on Instagram and Facebook.
Our thanks to Steve Miles for sponsoring this feature. He and other businesses and organisations taking paid promotion enables you to continue reading OnTheWight for free
