J. Steven Manolis (b. 1948-)
Deep Pacific Blue, 2007
Watercolor on Arches paper
12 x 16 inches
J. Steven Manolis, is an American abstract expressionist artist who paints in both watercolors and acrylics on canvas. He studied for 30 years under the tutelage of world renown colorist and former student of Hans Hofman, Wolf Kahn (1927-2020).
This is a beautiful seascape of the California ocean.
Donald Kuspit, a leading art critic, would go on to write about Manolis, "When it comes to Color, and the intellectual pursuit of ‘Communicating Through Color,’ Wassily Kandinsky’s long-awaited heir-to-be is J. Steven Manolis, whose works signal an ebullient 21st-century renaissance of the long-absent glories of Abstract Expressionism.”
"Through the influence of my mentor Wolf Kahn, my early painting career was as a colorist. When I wanted to find my own voice, and move away from Kahn’s style, I decided that Watercolors would be my medium since it would force me to paint differently from Wolf because he painted in oils and pastels. I spent most of my painting years perfecting watercolors. I now use water color techniques with acrylics, creating translucent layers.”
Manolis states. "... at the micro level, because I paint in “layers," whether that be watercolor on paper, or vitreous acrylic on canvas, the process of every painting is governed by a waiting time period, from the drying of one layer to the application of the next. So time, even if only measured in short increments – minutes and hours – also dictates every aspect of my painting (and therefore) life. Yet, within this experience of time dominating everything, I am able to experience the transcendental feeling of timelessness when I paint."