Where? CCMA’s Spotlight Gallery
When? November 10, 2022 to January 7, 2023
Artist Steve Walag:
It’s sometimes said that artists are “gifted.” I believe this means that artists receive gifts from the Muse. Our job is to share them – to put them into a form that others can understand and receive. I hope these gifts from the natural world bring you a sense of peace and connection.
Artist Biography:
Steve Walag has been a photographer for nearly 50 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Religious Studies from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and a BFA in Photography from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He has enjoyed a varied career as a photojournalist, public relations photographer, freelance architectural shooter, campus photographer at Inland area schools (UCR and Riverside City College) and photo instructor for junior college students and adult learners. All the while, Steve has pursued his own artistic path on the side, beginning decades ago with a strong affinity for the black and white photography of the West Coast “straight” photo school. Since 2015 his attraction to Japanese art led him to formulate his current style.
Steve developed a strong affinity for photography in the early 1970s. Over the years, this led to a varied career as a photojournalist, public relations photographer, freelance architectural shooter, photo instructor, and university staff photographer. But always waiting in the wings has been his artistic side, driven by a fascination for both painting and the camera. In 2015 he began developing a new style, emulating traditional Japanese painting, which melds together elements of brushwork and camera work. He is always pleased when viewers mistake these photographs of his for watercolors.
