The Art of Stephen Talley

Listen With Your Soul Among Stephen's favorite themes are those of WILDLIFE and natural settings. The subject' eyes burning with strength and pride. Graceful bodies in playful ballet. Contemplative moments of stillness and reverie. Bonds of companionship and family. The scenes and portraits you will find here and in all of the works on this website are images that will take root in you. Roots that will grow steadily deeper over time.	Once Upon The Dream Of A Night I Stood... Stephen Talley's artistic style has included a thread of FANTASY throughout the years, embodying his sense of fun and imagination. Long a fan of science fiction and fantasy, always curious about science and technology, and always entertained by pure flights of metaphorical experimentation. Stephen Talley's whimsical musings take form in these fantasy images; some serene with a promise of adventure at the next step, some alien and alluring, and some layered with symbolism which begs to be deciphered.
More Beautiful Than The Sky The face, in Stephen Talley's PORTRAITURE section, is all about character, and the soul which lies beneath. The portraits here have stories to tell. The images are both allegorical, and on the surface beautifully and masterfully accomplished.	Serenity Of A Still Life The images in the STILL LIFE section follow a time honored tradition in fine art. Still life as a genre was especially popular among Dutch painters in the seventeenth century. Historically, A still life of fruit or items associated with breakfast is called an ontbijt or breakfast piece. Other still life images might remind us of life's fleeting qualities. Those latter are called a vanitas. Stephen Talley's still life paintings are excellent examples of this genre.
FLORAL Similar to still life paintings, FLORAL painting became popular in the seventeenth century. There are many styles of floral paintings, and Stephen Talley's artwork is representative of several of these. The florals represented in this website are mainly characterized by loose brush strokes, simple forms, and contrasting colors -- favoring artistic interpretation of the floral genre. A lifelong and accomplished gardener, Stephen Talley's florals celebrate the innate beauty, form, and color of flowers and arranged floral displays.	PLEIN AIR PLEIN AIR is the French term which means "in the open air". It describes a style of painting created by the painter on location, where the painter can work in natural light surrounded by the subject matter he uses for inspiration. Born and raised in San Jacinto, CA -- situated between Los Angeles and Palm Springs at the foot of the beautiful San Jacinto mountains, Stephen Talley's Plein Air paintings reflect the clear and intense light of California coveted by artists. The San Jacinto mountains, with their beautiful meadows, pine trees, and meadows, have served as an inspiration and model for many of Stephen's plein air art pieces.
Writing In Watercolors A splash of sunlight, WATERCOLORS by Master Artist Stephen Talley rejoice in the elements of form, light, and composition. Colors floats across these artworks, staining paper with the majesty of nature, the solitude of Winter, and the lights and shadows of the seasons in their most profound simplicity. Studiously playful and experimental, a lifetime devoted to the craft of his art has rewarded this artist with the ability to invent new tools and techniques for the expression of his art. Stephen Talley's watercolors are extremely fresh and innovative and showcase his ingenuity in ways both obvious and subtle.	Magical Color, Immortal Light IMPRESSIONISM has a tradition dating back to the late 19th century. Characteristics of the style include open composition, an emphasis on light, ordinary subject matter, and sometimes the inclusion of a sense of movement. Stephen Talley's artwork has displayed a love of light and its interplay on subjects. His artwork in the Impressionistic style elaborates on the moods of light, whether it is a strong midday light reflecting off a red pepper, or sunlight playing thru trees from low on the horizon. Lovers of the Impressionistic style will find much to admire in these works. Colors command the canvas, in riotous explosions that overwhelm line and formal details. These are works of art for the senses, and can be felt as vibrant snapshots of life in the subjective eye of the artist.