Flying with Grandpa, Steve Barnard, Emporia Presbyterian Manor
Emporia-based artist Steve Barnard, who was a named a masterpiece-level winner in last year’s Art is Ageless® juried art competition, recently had his painting, “Flying with Grandpa,” featured on a commemorative greeting card that accompanied the 2022 Art is Ageless calendar.
Although Steve is a life-long artist, 2021 marked the first time he entered a piece of his work into the Art is Ageless competition at Emporia Presbyterian Manor.
“I’ve shown in galleries and entered into contests before, so I thought it would be fun,” said Steve.
Steve’s painting, which features an almost cartoon-like image of grandpa flying a stylized jet with his granddaughter riding shotgun, is a perfect example of Steve’s unique ability to turn a mental image into a piece of art.
“I just sit down, and I get these visions for what I want to do,” said Steve.
But Steve’s creativity isn’t always expressed in paint.
“I paint, I do sculptures, I make constructions out of recycled materials, I do a little bit of wood working—I don’t really have a style. I just like to create whatever comes to mind,” said Steve.
After his success in last year’s competition Steve is already planning on entering several pieces in the 2022 competition, although he knows that the competition will be tough.
“I was pretty impressed with the quality when the calendar came out—there’s quite a lot of talent here in Emporia,” said Steve.