Artist Clayton Stewart – Art

“The process of creation, whether through sculpture, drawing, painting, photography or any other medium that you could place in my hands, was never something that I just ‘picked up’ along the way.  It has been a central part of me and has made me who I am since I was strong enough to pick up a pencil.  It is the gift and blessing that came with me into this life

Another influence that is central in my life is my love of the outdoors.  Unlike my talent to create, this is something that I believe was taught to me.  Throughout the course of yearly hunting trips with my father and brother, family campouts, fishing trips, etc., my desire to be outside exploring and connecting with something greater began to consume my life.  It only seems natural that these two loves collided at an early age.

Among the earliest drawings that I have are scenes of mule deer and eagles playing in fields and on mountain tops. Thanks to my father’s influence, these are the things that I found made me happy. Later in life, my grandfather and uncle did their part to instill a love of fly fishing in me. Dancing trout and foggy streams became a central topic in my work. Today, you will find the same subject matter in my scenes. Trout, ducks, pheasant, streams… these are the things that still make me happy. If I can’t be out enjoying them with my eyes, I try to recreate onto canvas the impressions they’ve made on my mind.

The majority of my works are oil on hardboard. I always find the possibilities and challenges of this medium exciting. But when I find myself becoming stagnant or stiff, I break out the watercolors. The unforgiving, stubborn nature of this medium teaches me again to let go and enjoy the process of watching the creation, not just the creating. watercolors contain an appreciated beauty that cannot be replicated by any other medium.

As I continue my studies of the old masters alongside the works of contemporary artists, my style and techniques are constantly being molded. I have drawn and painted for close to 30 years now, I earned a Bachelors in Fine Art and am currently completing a Masters in art education – and I find that I am still constantly changing and exploring. I suppose I always will be. This is what makes me happy. These are my gifts. These are my blessings.”