Painter Steve Gerhartz is a man of few words. He recounted listening to another artist talk about a painting of theirs for half an hour, a concept utterly foreign to Gerhartz.

Having grown up in rural Wisconsin, where he still resides, Gerhartz doesn’t make a fuss over his work and seems uncomfortable when prodded to articulate some deeper meaning to it. It makes for a challenging interview but is also refreshing, leaving only the artwork to speak for itself and offering the only glimpse into the interior life of the individual who created it.20 Below, oil on canvas, 30 x 48"

Take 20 Below, a painting of a stone outbuilding that Gerhartz came across on a drive in the countryside around his home. After asking the owner for permission, Gerhartz set up his canvas and spent several hours painting. “I think it literally was 20-below,” he says. “I was outside and it was cold. The paint was super stiff but the lighting was nice. There was a dog laying there, unaffected by the cold, sitting in the sun.” When asked how he works bundled up in down pants and jacket, fur hat, leather gloves and wool liners, Gerhartz says the bulky layers don’t interfere with his process because “painting is mostly moving your arms, which moves the brush.”

When he was a boy, Steve and his brother Dan, also a well-established artist, were painting outdoors when a November squall whipped in and they continued to paint in the swirling snow. Gerhartz traces his passion for painting outdoors to that experience. Exposure to major museum exhibitions in Chicago—he names artists John Singer Sargent and Joaquín Sorolla—further bolstered his interest in pursuing a career as an artist. After high school, Gerhartz moved east to study at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Connecticut, where he was immersed in formal training across mediums led by highly reputable professional artists.Evening at the Lake, oil on canvas, 24 x 18"

Today Gerhartz starts all of his paintings outside, no matter the size. “It’s great to be outside and feel like part of the scene that I’m painting,” he says. He often finds his locations during hiking, fishing and hunting outings. Then he goes back, hauling his canvas and oils—often several times for larger pieces. The first order of business is capturing the light because “the seasons and weather change so much it’s hard to get the same day twice,” he explains. Paintings like Mallard Hole, a looser, smaller piece that illuminates the warm colors of fall, he might complete in one on-site sitting.

Spruces in Winter is a composite of two scenes—one with the creek and the other with the trees. Gerhartz painted on both locations to create an entirely believable snowy scene in icy blues, pinks and purple offset by lit up whites.Spruces in Winter, oil on canvas, 60 x 48"

“I enjoy working from life when I’m landscape painting—that’s key to capturing the light and the feeling,” he says. “The most important thing to me is to get the light right, to make it believable. If the light doesn’t look believable the scene doesn’t look real me.”

Once back in the studio, Gerhartz continues working on the piece, mostly from memory. He also hand-carves his own frames often incorporating elements that complement the scene in the painting.

Gerhartz’s father grew up on a farm and he bailed hay as a boy. He admits there may be a touch of nostalgia in his depictions of picturesque barns and sprawling farmlands. “There’s so much of that around here—it’s almost integrated into the natural landscape,” he says, adding that what may look like a stark, almost boring scene at one time of day, can glow with beauty during sunset.Stand of Birches, oil on canvas, 16 x12"

Gerhartz states plainly that his love for being outdoors is the primary reason he paints. “I like to see everything…it’s very interesting to me. All of the trees and the sun and the wind. The feeling you get when you’re out there—you’re part of the world.”

Sunlight of the Seasons opens December 2 at Lily Pad West with an opening reception from 5 to 9 p.m. 

Lily Pad West
215 N. Broadway • Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 509-5756 • lilypadgallery.com 

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