Steven Rosser

“Throughout my 35 plus years as an artist, art has continually and consistently defined my life. When I think about why I make art, I always remember the words of one of my college professors, ‘Making art is not an occupation, it’s a divine obsession!’ Quite simply, I make art because there is no other choice. To not make art simply isn’t an option. Art leads and I follow. Ultimately, it’s not so much that I make art; but rather art makes me.

Growing up on a working ranch in southwestern Oklahoma has had a lasting influence on me, as well as my work as an artist. As a result, I have long been interested in the wealth of material found in the subculture of the American west. The American cowboy, a holdover from a time long past, lost and attempting to find his way in a post-modern world is a continual source of fascination and inspiration. Using visual contradictions, evocative titles and witty puns, (literally as well as visually) many of my paintings often take on an ironic or humorous temperament. These neo-western images are fashioned by twisting traditional ideas and characters into unexpected configurations and structures. In my work the myth of the west becomes intricately intertwined with existing pop culture, world mythology and iconography. My work, driven by an implied visual narrative, is deliberately crafted to encourage individual interpretation.” — Steven Rosser