Clyde Steadman

Clyde developed his skills by combining years of working from life in figure, landscape, and still life while studying with the finest teachers in Denver. He is known for combining technical virtuosity with emotional directness in his oil paintings. He has exhibited in a variety of Denver galleries, and shown in Santa Fe, and Taos, New Mexico; Destin, Florida; and Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is collected internationally, and is represented in the collections of Kaiser Permanente, Children's Hospital, and St. Josephs Hospital Denver.
Teaching Philosophy Clyde teaches the elements of painting; shape, color, value, and edges. Through explanation, demonstration, and practice students come to master the elements. Like a poet learns vocabulary before writing poetry, an artist needs to command the elements of painting before being able to express the genius within. Artist Statement One key question a painter should ask is: "Why am I painting this?" The answer to this question provides a guide to what is essential in the painting. Anything that doesn't further the goal of communicating the painter's answer to the viewer is extraneous, and actually hurts the painting. This strategy guides me in composition. If I am responding to the expression on a face, it might not be important to include even a chin, or a hairline. Focusing on precise areas and limited subjects forces me to devote myself to the painting with an intense concentration. The composition becomes a carefully orchestrated combination of subject, shape, value, color and edges; all doing their part to communicate a specific emotion. If I'm lucky, the viewer will see that, and also sense the pure joy I get from playing with glorious gobs of color.