Persistance and Passion - Steve Tomlin

Tulsa Studio Tour Artist Steve Tomlin

Steve Tomlin is a veteran Tulsa Art Studio Tour artist, participating previously in 2002. For over 30 years he has been an active artist and art educator in Tulsa. He began his formal training at Kansas State College in 1966, though for years he had been an artist persistently for much longer. "I had the good fortune of working under printmaker Harry Krug and “truth of materials” sculptor Bert Keeney," says Tomlin.

He received his MFA from Pittsburg State University after serving in Vietnam in the Army, where he received a Bronze Star, and was assigned as an illustrator due to his abilities. His experiences have given him insight and sensitivity into the human condition, which strongly influences his work in non-objective abstraction. 

A painting by Steve Tomlin

Starting with a grid of colors, Tomlin paints over twenty layers of colors on a canvas, often with unconventional tools, giving it intense depth and dimension. His abstract paintings, with their strong compositions and vibrant colors, are in tune with the myriad of interactions in human emotions. "Bringing my art to a master level without subject matter has been a long process," he says.

He finds his most successful recent painting is Heaven, impressively measuring at 6'. "Thirty years in the studio has been my best teacher, says Tomlin, "There is great comfort with the level I have achieved, and as I continue, my work will evolve."

Meet & see the working studio of Tomlin along with 9 other artists on April 20-21, noon until 5 pm on the Tulsa Art Studio Tour. For more info, or to purchase tickets, visit www.TulsaArtStudioTour.org.