Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Kean.
Hi Steven, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Since I was young, I was always interested in art and creating things. In college, I studied art education and after graduating, I got a job as a high school art teacher. It was great, but I found myself wanting to focus more on my own art. I left my teaching position and traveled to Australia for a little soul cleansing, took a watercolor painting class, surfed and traveled around the eastern coast. After my adventures ‘Down Under’ I planted myself on the North Shore of Oahu and eventually got back into teaching art. I was still craving more of that creative inspiration so I enrolled in an independent study in printmaking at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. It was there that I started my journey in the woodcut method of relief printmaking.
I built a solid collection of ocean inspired work in that independent study and had my first solo exhibition in 2016 in Honolulu, HI. It was a big moment for me and I started to see that there was a possibility that I could make a career out of being an artist. I kept at it and continued creating and honing my artistic style and creative voice. A series of events followed that solo show, stepping stones in my story as an artist. I had the opportunity to hang my work in a cafe here on the North Shore of Oahu which gave me great exposure. I was then selected as the featured artist for the 2016 Haleiwa Arts Festival and began to showcase my work in an art gallery in Haleiwa, Polu Gallery. The next year I was chosen as the official artist of the 2017 Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach. That event is part of the Triple Crown of Surfing where the world’s best professional surfers compete on the North Shore of Oahu. It was literally a dream come true to create the artwork for World Cup of Surfing, I had dreamt of it when I first moved to Hawaii and I am so honored and grateful to have been a part of it.
Over the years, I’ve traveled to the mainland US, Australia and Japan on several occasions to showcase my work. I have also had some great opportunities with commissioned projects. In 2020 I created the imagery for the footbed of a premium leather sandal for the footwear company Olukai. Later that year, I was commissioned to create a woodblock print of Diamond Head on Oahu for Kahala MKT by Foodland. The artwork is the main visual imagery in the store and is used in various branding elements.
Today I continue to work in the woodcut and linocut methods of printmaking and am a member of the Honolulu Printmakers where I do most of my printing. I am also a teaching artist with the Hawaii State Art Museum and find real joy working with the students here in Hawaii. I’m staying busy with creating new work, running my art business and participating in various pop-up art markets around the island. There’s no shortage of inspiration here in Hawaii, it’s an amazing place to live and further develop as an artist.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
All in all, it’s been a relatively smooth road. That being said, this past year was pretty interesting. The studio that I work out of was closed due to the pandemic and then they got word that they had to move locations. I haven’t had access to the printing presses that I have been pulling my larger prints from. So I have made some adjustments and have been creating smaller scale work out of my home studio printing in the traditional method by hand. Thankfully the studio is opening back up and I’ll be back on the press where I like to be.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Most of my work draws inspiration from the ocean, surfing is a big part of my life and that reveals itself in the art I create. I utilize the woodcut method of relief printmaking. It’s a very process-oriented discipline where you carve into a piece of wood, roll ink onto the surface, apply paper and pressure and then peel back the paper to reveal the print. I’m known for my black and white surf style imagery with occasional layers of color added in. I strive for stark contrast and smoothly carved lines when depicting my images. There is a certain sense of stillness I experience when I’m in the ocean and the same goes for when I’m creating the artwork, especially in the carving stages of the process. Carving a smooth line in a piece of wood evokes similar emotions to that of riding a wave. It’s a very sensory, in the moment activity, very meditative at times. Those emotions are translated in my work.
I would say that I am most proud of being selected as the official artist for the 2017 Vans World Cup of Surfing. I am also super appreciative and stoked on all of the commissioned projects I’ve been involved in over the years, especially with Olukai and Kahala MKT. I’m proud to have my work showcased in galleries, restaurants, hotels and resorts. I feel so fortunate to be able to do something I love for a living. I have shipped artwork all over the world and it is a great feeling that someone would enjoy my work enough to hang it in their home or business. It’s like I’m leaving my imprints behind and I’m truly grateful.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Passion. I like to say I have a passion for the process. As much as I want to create a final product I am happy with, I really try to focus on the steps leading up to it, ride out the ebb and flow and be fully engaged in the moment. You have to be passionate about what you are doing in order to be successful.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@keanarts.com
- Website: keanarts.com
- Instagram: @keanarts
Image Credits:
All photos by Megumi Kean
