Steve R. Garner, Painter and Mixed Media

I began my career as an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of North Dakota.  There I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, Master of Arts Degree in art education and then the Master of Fine Arts degree in studio arts.

I studied under nationally respected artists / teachers such as Robert A. Nelson, Brian Paulsen, Jackie McElroy Edwards and Paul Fundingsland.   Artists like Rene Magritte, one of the early Masters of Surrealism and contemporary artists like Donald Roller Wilson, along with classmate Christopher Langseth were among the influences that would have a lasting effect on my thinking.  I was working in the mediums of Printmaking (serigraphy) and painting always challenged by the use of an image.  Today, some forty years later, my use of media is mixed, utilizing everything I’ve experienced, often adding new experiences to achieve an objective.

I have taught for over thirty years on both the college and secondary levels, retiring to the studio in 2013.  My work has been exhibited nationally with Publications in Art News and the Artist magazines.  I continue to enter juried exhibits, and am an active member in Art Gallery on Pendleton Square, the exhibition venue for the Pendleton Artists Cooperative in Pendleton, SC. I’m a long time member of the South Carolina Watermedia Society and have been a member of the National Watercolor Society, along with many others.

I’ve enjoyed my full time presence in the studio since my retirement from teaching. Having the time to experiment with media and explore an idea has been very exciting. It’s my hope that I may create works that will have a lasting effect in challenging and stimulating the viewer.