Meet Carol Steffgen of Tucson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carol Steffgen.

Hi Carol, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Carol Steffgen and I’m originally from the Chicago area. I’m from a family of 6 girls and I was number 5. I was always considered the artist of the family from the time I was a little girl I was painting. My Dad took us all and our mom to Europe when I was 10. We rode around in a Volkswagen bus for 3 months all throughout Europe. I was so inspired by the Vatican and the beautiful paintings and sculptures. I knew I had to go home and keep painting. When I was in Junior High I painted 2 nudes ( from my imagination) and my parents framed it and hung it in their living room my whole life! It was embarrassing after a while but my dad said he wanted to show the world my talents from a young age. I also had a grandfather who was an incredible calligrapher and made scrolls for the Queen of England. He also inspired me tremendously. I moved to Tucson to go to the University of Arizona where I received my bachelor of Arts degree. I eventually became an art teacher and inspired my students with being an artist myself. When I met Sharon Renee in Bali this past April I felt it was kizmit. When she saw my work and wanted it in her gallery, it felt magical. I’ve been in galleries before but this one I’m really looking forward to being a part of. My work is inspired by my desert surroundings but also is inspired by people and animals. If I can communicate through my people or animals, I feel like I have done my job, and have pulled the viewer into my world.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s basically been a smooth road. After I had been teaching for a few years I had the opportunity to get into the Karin Newby Gallery in Tubac Arizona. She showed my work for 10years. She put my work in magazines and had many shows for me. I sold a lot of paintings. But my work was just about Native Americans and after 10 years I didn’t want to be just pegged as a Native American artist. I wanted to spread my wings and paint landscapes, flowers, animals and other people so we parted ways. I’ve only been in a couple of galleries since then and none as successful as Karin’s. But I have a website. It’s hard to sell large beautiful paintings on a small screen so I haven’t sold any paintings yet. But the company I’m working with can put my images on T-shirts, tote bags, mugs and pillows. I’ve sold some of them.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work has always been very large. I paint acrylic paintings. I found out when I was young that I was allergic to oils, so I gave that up. When I was really young acrylic paint was hard to work with. The consistency and colors weren’t good. But over the years they have become so much better and wonderful to work with. When I spray them after I’m done, they look like oil paintings! I think what sets me apart from others is that my paintings are very bold. Most people think my husband is the artist when they first see my work because it’s very powerful. I’m a colorist and I love to work with complementary colors. They really pop from the canvas. I think because I’ve put so much time and effort into my work, it just gets better and better. Putting in the hours and the energy make every work important to me. I love to paint. And I believe that when people see me work, they can feel that.

What does success mean to you?
I define success by completing a painting. People used to ask me if I never sold another painting would that make me stop working. The answer is NO! Never! I will never stop painting. If I stopped painting I’d lose my soul.

Pricing:

• Most of my paintings run between 2 and 4 thousand dollars

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carolsteffgenart.com
• Instagram: carolsteffgenart.com
• Facebook: carolsteffgenart.com