About J. Steven Patton
J. Steven Patton is an Oil Painter and Pastel artist born and bred in Wyckoff, New Jersey. He began painting at the age of fourteen and studied privately with local artists throughout high school. One teacher was a neo-impressionist from whom he learned about abstract art and acrylic paint. His second teacher provided a more formal, traditionalist training in portrait, landscape and still life in oils. He cites the importance of learning both. Upon graduating from high school he earned a bachelor degree in Fine Art from The College of New Jersey. He was mentored by the artist Tony Robbin with whom he studied Joseph Alber’s Color Theory as an independent study. He is a member of Pro Arts Jersey City, Studio Montclair, Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council and the New Jersey Pastel Society. His work has been exhibited in several group shows in New Jersey and may be found in private collections. He is currently spends his days in his Manufacturer’s Village studio in East Orange, New Jersey.
Artist Statement
When I was thirteen years old I asked for a set of oil paints for Christmas. As I started painting my brain changed somehow in the way I saw and thought about things. It was the beginning of me becoming a fully formed human being. One of my earliest works was an imaginary portrait that in retrospect was an expressionistic self portrait. To this day my painting is rooted in figurative expressionism as there is always something human found within my compositions whether it be a figure or a portrait. My recent compositions use interesting chromatic shapes, bold lines and subtle textures that emerge from the underpainting. The shapes in the underpainting talk to me and take the lead in the story that eventually unfolds in the final creation. It is most gratifying to let go and let the painting do the work of the subconscious.
New Brunswick Art Salon 2022 —Oil and Mixed Media: “Beyond the Brush: The Contemporary Imagination”
Education
Bachelor of Fine Art with Media Minor, College of New Jersey
Studio
Manufacturer’s Village Art Studios – East Orange, NJ
Exhibitions
- 2022 New Jersey Arts Annual: Reemergence, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ
- 2021 Tewksbury Historical Society Juried Art Exhibition, Tewksbury, NJ
- 2021 i19 Gallery – Sacred Strands Juried Exhibition, Maplewood, NJ
- 2021 Alfa Art Gallery – Bonds Beyond Time Juried Exhibition, New Brunswick, NJ
- 2021 Sussex County Arts and Heritage Council – Skylands Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Newton, NJ
- 2021 i19 Gallery – Orange Reclaimed Juried Exhibition, Maplewood, NJ
- 2021 Pastel Society of New Jersey Members Exhibition, Green Village, NJ
- 2021 Studio Montclair Privilege, Power and Everyday Life, Juried, Montclair, NJ
- 2021 Honorable Mention Dakota Pastel Competition, 1st Quarter 2020 South Orange Maplewood Studio Artist Studio Tour
- 2019 Tewksbury Historical Society Juried Art Exhibition, Tewksbury, NJ
- 2010 Sussex County Arts and Heritage Council Juried Exhibition
Collections
- Private Collection, Little Silver, NJ
- Private Collection, Palm Springs, CA
- Private Collection, Durango, CO
- Private collection, Maplewood, NJ
- Private collection, Gaithersburg, MD
- Private collection, Montclair, NJ
- Private collection, Jersey City, NJ