Steven Durchslag: A Retrospective 2011-2014 on exhibit this month
“For only three short years Steven has been coming to Studio 84, spending an hour here one day a week. That’s all,” Deborah Blackwell, director of Studio 84 stated in a press release. “But the growth artistically he achieved in this short time span is truly astounding.”
A collection of Durchslag’s work – more than 75 select pieces – are on exhibit at the Studio 84 Art Gallery through the month of January. A public reception is slated 2 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24.
Blackwell said when Durschlag first arrived at Studio 84 he got to choose what he wanted to do, “and that was white paper and markers. He would proceed to draw his favorite symbols… snowman, candy canes, pumpkins, birthday cakes and globs of taffy.”
Not a lot is known about Steven, according to Blackwell. “He is a quiet man who doesn’t talk much. He is a gentle, kind person who enjoyed listening to Beatles’ music.”
Durschlag was slowly introduced to new materials such as mono printing, oil pastels, watercolor and mixed media, according to Blackwell.
“It was soon discovered he had amazing abilities with composition and color placement,” Blackwell said. “Eventually, the technique of mixed media came Durschlag’s way as he would cut out his symbolic images and glue or tape them onto another paper or board.” Then, she said, he would add paint and oil pastels over the top, creating rich layers of texture and color.
“If you watch him work you can see him carefully choosing the next image to place, which areas of paint need certain colors and oil pastels,” Blackwell said.
“There was no doubt he had some careful considerations as he worked and he was very intuitive with it. Composition was something that came naturally to him, it was not something we taught him,” she added.
The exhibit, “Steven Durchslag: A Retrospective 2011-2014” runs through the end of January at Studio 84, 121 W. Center St. in Whitewater. For more information about the studio call (262) 473-9845 or visit www.studio84inc.org.
