Summer Sidewalk by Steve Kleier in Portland, Oregon

Summer Sidewalk by Steve Kleier in Portland, Oregon

It has been said that photography is the act of capturing light. Steve Kleier’s paintings feel like he’s capturing shadows. Where is there less light, and less light, and almost no light?

As you watch Kleier work, as in this YouTube video, you’ll see that he begins by constructing all of the shadows to give his objects weight. Then he starts to lay in shadows until things have depth, perspective, and scale. It is as if he uses shadows to construct the entire piece and he’s left with a proper representation of where the light is. Reverse photography.

I chose this piece because I appreciated how well it is balanced and his use of that gorgeous blue. The view is right down the sidewalk and everything in it wraps that perspective.