I believe when a person is moved by my painting, it is a soulful experience, a communion, between the viewer and the painting, and on a deeper level, myself.

Stephen Lucas  [b.1959 Los Angeles, California]

1979- 1990 Stephen studied life drawing and oil painting at McCrady Art School - New Orleans, LA.  later  studied painting and printmaking at Ventura College CA and Apprenticed with Abstract painter Wesley E Johnson, Ventura CA .

There are in our lives moments of indescribable emotion, words fail us many times, this vision beyond the describable is the realm of non-representational art. -Alexander Liberman

Living my dream of being a professional fine art painter is a rewarding journey. I devote much of each day to painting, but equally important to me is being an inspirational and influential contemporary fine artist. I studied at Ventura College School of Fine Art in Ventura, California, McCrady Fine Art School in New Orleans, Louisiana and later apprenticed with painter, teacher and theoretician, Wesley E. Johnson. During that time my focus turned to abstract expression and it was then that my true artistic vision opened up and took flight.

In 1998, a new dimension was added to my career portfolio when major motion picture studios and national television networks brought my art to film in TV shows such as “Will and Grace,” “Friends” and motion pictures such as “Bounce” and “Showtime.”

My artwork has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in the U.S. It is included in corporate and private collections in the U.S., Europe and Middle East.

It is not my thing to abstract the world around me. My challenge is to capture the “essence of life”, the unseen, without using words or identifiable objects. Because of my creative process, I believe when a person is moved by my paintings, it is a “purely personal and spiritual” experience, a communion, between the viewer and the painting, and on a deeper level, myself. This experience is not limited or influenced by words, places or things. It is pure....beyond language, beyond differences, beyond dogma, beyond any and all association to the outside world. Therefore, what takes place is a private conversation between the viewer and the painting, and I like to think of myself as the initiator of a profound natural experience of self-exploration. That’s where Truth is found.

It has been one of my greatest pleasures in life to learn that sometimes, what a person experiences when viewing my art is a place deep within themselves, a place they have longed to tap into, and my painting was the key to helping them unlock it. The colors and composition come from my subconscious connection to my intuitive vision (it’s a soulful thing), my best work always comes from that part of me.

Artists are taught technique and how to see and draw the figurative world, but expression is from the soul and the soul longs for freedom. I find that freedom while painting non-representational art. In expression there are no rules, but there IS truth, and truth can only be found deep within each and every one of us.  My art is an expression of the truth about me. My work reflects my life; openly and honestly....and my belief that there are infinite possibilities in every situation.  This is my language transformed with paint for the pleasure of the viewer!

Viewing Stephen’s art is like brunch at a 5 star restaurant; it’s a feast.....for the eye as well as the soul!