BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO

Blending classical inspiration with a contemporary eye, local artist Tanner Steed draws from 19th-century masters and his International travels to create striking portraits, still lifes and landscapes. We were honored for the opportunity to take a closer look at his artistic journey, technique, and the timeless influence behind his modern practice.

Your artistic foundation progressed from heartfelt self-teaching to rigorous mentorship under contemporary masters. How have these relationships shaped your technique and artistic philosophy?

Just after completing my undergrad in Human Development at MSU Denver, I began teaching at Sand Creek Elementary in Highlands Ranch. While I was teaching, I began researching the Italian school’s curriculums of the Florence academy and Angel Academy. I aspired to go there to continue my own study. While researching their curriculums, I came across the Charles Bargue drawing course. This was likely the most impactful book in my library for my ‘self education’ as it formalized the drawing guide for the 19th century masters. I found the best way to learn how to paint was to copy the works of those I looked up to. It all began with making precise replicas of the drawings in this book.

I completed dozens of plates from the book. They looked pretty good, but I lacked the necessary feedback loop for progression towards mastery. The saying is pretty accurate, you cannot see what you do not know. While drawing these plates, which often can take days, I came across a PBS documentary on youtube titled, Daniel Sprick: In Pursuit of Truth and Beauty. The documentary was an enormous turning point in my life. I was absolutely awe struck that Daniel Sprick’s technique was possible, and couldn’t believe he was living in Denver! 

I decided I needed to meet this man. I sent him an email asking to take him out for a cup of coffee, to thank him for all he had done for my development whether he knew it or not. He didn’t reply. A few months went by, and I decided to email him again. I reworded the email and sent it. Still no reply. I continued studying, working on my Bargue plates, doing master copies at the museum. I was progressing but I knew I needed external support. Then I saw that Daniel Sprick was going to demonstrate at the Plein Air Convention in Denver. I saved my money, purchased the ticket and then COVID hit. The convention was canceled. I decided, ok the third time is the charm? I emailed Dan one last time. Unbelievably, he responded and said why don’t you come to my studio. I could not believe my eyes. I arrived at his studio incredibly humbled. He opened the door and I had already known it like the back of my hand because of the documentary. 

I shared my sketchbooks with all of the Bargue plates, museum studies, and personal drawings. He gave me some suggestions and answered some fundamental painting questions for me. I was thrilled. After watching him paint for a bit, it was time for me to leave. To my utter shock, Dan said “We’ll be in touch”. About a week went by when he invited me back to his studio to paint. The rest is history. Dan is now more than a mentor to me; he is one of my closest friends. I have been working with him for years now, studying his technique and developing my own. I now work out of Quang Ho’s Studio which is next door to Dan’s on the same property alongside some of my closest friends, Diego Glazer, Cristian Mora, Benjamin Walling, and Lily Curley. Now I am co-teaching workshops and traveling the world with Dan. 

Your work spans evocative locales, from France to Cairo, Rome and Alaska. Can you share a memorable story or moment from painting on location that profoundly influenced your work?

I paint on location as much as I can, and I love to travel around the world to explore different subjects, weather, and cultures. On my way to teach a workshop through Rome Art Residencies with Daniel Sprick, we decided to stop by Cairo for a week. This was an extraordinarily eye-opening experience. Not only did we manage to paint the sphinx, pyramids and other scenes along the Giza plateau, but we fully immersed ourselves in the location. We spoke to locals and walked amongst caravans of camels exploring the Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest museum in the world. I came back with paintings, drawings, and pages of notes about my time there. I am now working on a decent sized 5’x2 canvas inspired by 5 locations and all a handful of paintings and drawings I did on location. It will be a caravan of camels overlooking the modern city of Cairo with the pyramids hidden by a hazy sandy atmosphere. 

When do you consider your pieces complete, and where do you find inspiration for your subjects?

My paintings are always a work in progress. It is rare, but it does occur when I will remove a painting from its frame and return it to the easel if I have found a solution to composition. I do not varnish my paintings until they are sold, which gives me ample opportunity to give all of my efforts to improving a piece. If the piece has not sold, I allow time and thorough consideration of all possible solutions. I learn so much from each painting, the longer I spend on a painting the better it tends to turn out. This certainly does not mean more detail although I can appreciate intricate passages, it often means a simplification of the overall compositional effect. It has more to do with how it reads at a distance.

Light and sensory observation are central to your work. How do you use those elements to capture realism and emotional resonance?

I trust my gut. If I feel the emotional effect, I try to find out why? Even if I cannot fully understand, I seek to understand why. I capture my studying of emotion through painting. Painting is the language we use to describe an emotion we feel when we witness a scene. It is our way of visual note taking.

Your inspirations include 19th-century masters. What elements of their work do you aim to weave into your own modern interpretations?

I’m on a constant search for the techniques of the 19th century old masters. While I am working in the studio, I have books scattered around me, from Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema to Sargent, for each time I am forced to take a break from mental exhaustion while working on a portrait. If I find a painting that inspires me, I study it intently each time I sit down. If I find that my appreciation fades, or it has given me all the inspiration for the given session, I will flip the pages to a new work. Some of my favorite books include The Art of The Salon by Norbert Wolf, and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema by Elizabeth Prettejohn et al.

In addition to books referencing the masters from the 19th century I have started my own collection of original works. I have an incredible 19th century French male academic nude charcoal without a signature. It’s a testament to how extraordinary the training was in the Ecole Des Beaux Arts. This drawing rests next to my easel, reminding me of the importance of form and the consideration of the larger fall of light on a subject. To my right is a Sanguine sketch by one of my absolute favorite 19th century naturalists, Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan Bouveret. He painted alongside Jules Bastien Lepage, another artist I admire greatly. These two sketches are all the encouragement I need to keep going.

You teach workshops and have said teaching enriches your own understanding profoundly. Can you share a “teaching moment” that deepened your perspective?

I’m thrilled to return to Rome to teach through Rome Art Residencies alongside Daniel Sprick. The founders of the school, make it incredible guiding us through museums and cathedrals to find secret Carravagios, in between painting sessions. This workshop has been life-changing for my students and myself.

I adore my students, as they are often my mirror into what I do not know. I remember a moment during a class when my students Alden and Lindsay asked why it was the case that as shadows recede, they become lighter and often cooler? This fundamental concept was something I knew from my instruction but I really did not fully understand the scientific reasons that this occurs. This led to a deep dive into exploring other atmospheric effects such as rainbows, and visual effects like optical blueing. Teaching and painting have provided an overwhelming motivation to explore curiosities in the world around us. 

You paint everything with the same dedication. How do you shift your mindset across varied subjects while maintaining that depth?

Whether I choose to paint a landscape, a portrait, or a flower, I am undeniably curious as to why a subject is the way that it is. I feel so lucky to explore the world through painting. I love science, and the process of discovery. Painting hits every bit of those neural reward systems for me. It is a never-ending process of growing and discovering. I will learn something while painting flowers, and realize how impactful it can be on my portrait paintings.

Living and working in Colorado, how does your local environment inspire or inform your art compared to your international travels?

They are truly symbiotic. I find, the more I travel internationally, the more I can appreciate the views and subjects that I have grown with and may have subconsciously taken for granted. When I arrived back from Egypt, I realized how fortunate I am to have been born in this time and place. Without my parents’ emotional support, and the luck to live here with access to oil painting materials, I very likely would not have gone down this path. It’s a constellation of circumstances that leads to everyone’s life path. Traveling has helped me realize how unlikely each individual’s life circumstances can be. There is so much out of our control, but the one thing we can control is observing your very unique place in time.

Your environment is everything. You are what you consume. I am very considerate of what I expose myself to. Your subconscious has an enormous effect on the way you paint. I try to bring as much inspiration into my life as possible, whether it be the selectivity of friendships, or the artwork that I have hanging in my studio. This is why it is so important to travel to places that are uncomfortable and different. It allows you to expand the horizons as to what is possible. I had no idea until going to Egypt how much I would be captivated by camels and the particular color harmonies that I had only seen in the dense atmosphere in the early mornings in Cairo. It is very important to have extraordinary experiences to have progress in the mutation of your technique. 

What are you most excited to explore in your upcoming work or exhibitions?

I’m thrilled to return to Rome to teach again. Olivia, my fiancé/muse and I will be stopping by London to paint and explore museums. Everywhere we go Olivia poses for me. In between painting sessions, we will be seeking out Holbein’s portraits as we love the historical significance and his masterful technique. As for upcoming exhibitions, I plan to have a show next year displaying my work from the past two years. All information will be shared on my social media @tannersteedart and through my newsletter tannersteedart.com.

In the meantime if anyone would like to schedule a studio visit, you can contact me through my website and see my work in person at the Broadmoor Galleries in Colorado Springs.

We encourage you to explore Tanner Steed’s vast body of work online and in person.