ABOUT
From visionary work in film to breathtaking works of visual art, Steven Vaughan has been a pioneering innovator in each new medium that he chooses to work in. As a filmmaker, he has done work for brands like BMW, Chanel, Narragansett, Coca-Cola International, AT&T, and more.
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He has sparked trends in high-end eyewear as a fashion designer with his unique designs being worn by celebrities, and featured at the Oscars. Vaughan also helped to create the iconic Juicy Couture heart-shaped push button, and worked as the Creative Director for Charles Mallory London.
Vaughan's fine art has been covered globally in all media.
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His accolades include a solo show at The Paul Mellon Arts Center, top New York gallery representation, and the creation of his trademarked ArtRod, pictured below.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I consider my paintings “photo-conceptual” artwork. Having worked as Ben Schonzeit’s assistant in the early 1980’s, and at the same time studied with conceptual artist Joanne Seltzer in New York’s SoHo district, a “photo-conceptual” perspective was a natural evolution for me as an artist. Schonzeit was one of the original ten photorealist painters from the 1960’s, and I learned many of the techniques I still use today directly from Ben.
Photorealism is the most unforgiving style of painting to execute technically. Conceptual art is the strongest form of art as far as ideas are concerned. I have always felt that a lot of photorealism was weak on ideas, and a great deal of conceptual art was weak in execution. So, I wanted to conquer the void in those two areas. I intentionally wanted to make extreme art - work that was technically difficult and intellectually challenging.
The content of my paintings comes from my direct influence on pop culture over the past two decades. I directed well over 300 hundred national and international TV commercials and saw a lot of my in-camera techniques pulled through to film and video. I was under contract with George Lucas and Dream Quest Images, and had my own production company, Vaughan Films, in New York City. I continued to establish myself as a designer launching my own brand of sunglasses that were worn by numerous celebrities to the Academy Awards and have been sold in over 100 stores. I also worked with Liz Claiborne, Juicy Couture and Charles Mallory London, and saw many of my fashion designs across the country.
I believe my experience as an artist across multiple disciplines lends deeper meaning and accurate social commentary on the pop culture references I use. I am not an outsider making judgments on pop culture from the confines of my studio; I helped shape pop culture over the last two decades and understand it from the inside out.
A lot of the techniques I use are the result of years of trial and error. I paint by hand using any method necessary to get the desired look needed. I use antiquated forgotten tools, methods I invent, or modern equipment. I paint mostly with acrylics because they give me clean sharp edges and it takes up to two months to create each painting.
