“The longer I live, the more I have come to believe that everything in the universe is connected.” – Steven DaLuz
Steven DaLuz won PleinAir Magazine’s November salon award for best painting by an artist over the age of 65. Born in California, DaLuz, has advanced degrees in sociology, design and fine arts. His work is widely collected, regularly sells out, and has been published in many periodicals, including Streamline Publishing’s Fine Art Connoisseur.
DaLuz has developed a unique process for the application of metal leaf and chemically-induced oils in dramatically lit figurative paintings as well as imaginary landscapes, skyscapes, and abstractions, all of which convey to viewers more than a hint of the sublime.
Steven DaLuz, Source, oil and metal leaf on panel, 36” x 36”
Although he has been branded a “neoluminist,” categories and labels mean little enough to his creative process. “I like the freedom to create whatever moves me, whether it is figurative or non-figurative,” DaLuz told Inside Art. The following are Steven’s words, delivered in the form of an interview with the questions omitted.
Reaching through the Material Toward the Immaterial
I suppose I am most interested in imagery that evokes a “feeling” within a viewer. While I like intellectual stimulation in a work, I am more concerned with sparking the imagination. Entwining images of light, serenity, and calm against darkness, tumult and chaos is what I like best. It presents a kind of metaphor for life’s journey.
Steven DaLuz, Becoming, oil and metal leaf on panel, 60″ x 40″
About 20 years ago, I began earnestly searching for a way to express the sensation of ethereal light as though it was coming from WITHIN the painting, rather than lying on the surface. After many months of experimentation (and many failures) in the studio, I developed a process using copper leaf, composition gold leaf (an amalgam of copper, zinc, and brass), chemically-induced patinas, oil and mixed mediums.
After much trial and error, I realized I needed to use materials that provided me with reflective properties that worked together with the oil paint. Initially, I used pure gold leaf, but it only worked in areas where it was allowed to shine on its own. Additionally, because I work fairly large, it became quite expensive. So, I began to use copper leaf and composition gold leaf in the selected areas of the substrate. Over time, I realized I could get what I needed with just the composition gold leaf.
After gessoing the composite aluminum panel, I tone it with a couple layers of diluted red oxide (acrylic) paint. I draw my figure(s) onto the surface, then apply sizing to adhere the metal leaf into selective areas where I want the light to behave as though piercing a vaporous, hazy atmosphere. After the gold leaf is applied, the next day, I spray a chemical concoction into areas where I know the spatters will either create a slight patina or dissolve through the metal leaf, revealing bits of the underlying red color.
Steven DaLuz, Descent, oil and metal lead on panel, 76” x 48”
I wear a respirator during this process, in a well-ventilated area. I then take the panel outdoors and spray multiple coats of polycrylic sealant over the metal leaf. Any aerosol metal leaf sealant should work. This must be done to ensure the metal leaf will not oxidize and change color as it tarnishes over time. It also provides me with microscopic droplets for the paint to grab onto, rather than slick metal leaf.
Now, I begin painting in glazes of oil paint. I leave some of the metal leaf exposed and some of it is painted over, revealing bits of it through the layers of paint. As light passes through the veils of paint, it bounces off the underlying metal and reflects light back to the viewer. If successful, it will appear as light piercing a hazy atmosphere, or as cloud formations, depending on my handling of the paint.
Steven DaLuz, Rip, Oil, Metal Leaf on Panel, 27″ x 27″
My background imagery is manufactured from my imagination. The bits of red and the spatters in the underlying layers peak through and provide a kind unifying property and lend a sense of “energy” to the work. I do not use encaustic in these oil paintings.
I create the encaustic works as separate pieces, usually significantly smaller, though my process still follows my intention of describing light as though coming from within the painting. Encaustic is molten beeswax, pigment and damar resin. When I paint with this medium, I gouge out the upper layers of the surface with dental tools to create a hole where I want the strongest light. I then fill in the area with molten wax medium and high-key color. The surface is scraped flat and fused with a heat gun.
Steven DaLuz, Seeker, Oil, Metal Leaf on ACM Panel, 30″ x 40″
The Seeker
In my early days serving in the military, I spent 8 ½ years as a medic working in an emergency room setting. In that environment, I was often confronted with pain, human suffering, death—the fragility of life. Surviving cancer and a heart attack myself, I believe those experiences have informed many of the aspects of what I choose to create. I think spirituality has crept into my work, as I possess a kind of subconscious “yearning” for something beyond the physical aspects of this life. I don’t fight it.
As much as I enjoy life and the physical beauty of this world, I have a keen interest in exploring the idea of another plane of existence. In my work, I attempt to peel back the veil a little and offer a glimpse into the possibility of that reality. For me, the pure beauty and power of art need not explain anything. At its best, the raw image alone can be enough to pose questions and ignite the viewer’s imagination.
Steven DaLuz, oil and metal leaf on panel, 48” x 60”
I can barely begin to fathom the great depths of the mysteries the cosmos offers, yet clearly we are a part of it. I believe we are more than this physical “shell” that is our corporeal body. The idea of “one-ness” between humankind and the universe has become something of a fascination for me. I really don’t try to supply any answers to life’s big questions with my work…I simply try to visually express some of my thoughts and feelings to hopefully spark the imaginations of others. I hope the viewer will connect with my work in some small way and that they will feel something. – Steven DaLuz
PleinAir Salon
The monthly PleinAir Salon rewards artists with over $33,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work. A winning painting, chosen annually from the monthly winners, is featured on the cover of PleinAir magazine. The deadline is ongoing, so visit PleinAirSalon.com now to learn more.
