A Diversity in Style and Technique Turns a Chrysanthemum into a Portrait

Story By Christina Heintzelman cheintzelman@benchmarkmediallc.com

Photos Submitted By Artist

If you were to ask Sten how long he has been an artist, he would reply, “Since the age of three!” And he has the photo to prove it. (see photo below)

The adventurous art journey in Sten’s life has been a long time in the making and his art has a maturity and depth that tells that story. “I’ve adored art all the way from age three through grade school, middle school, and high school when I was the art editor for the high school newspaper, The Courier, in St. Clair, PA.” To this day he keeps in touch with his high school art teacher and shares his art with her. After high school he came to the Harrisburg area to attend Thompson Institute and pursue a degree in data management. After graduation, he worked in this field for about five years and then moved onward to a thirty-eightyear career with Blue Cross, most of that time as a claims supervisor.

But during this time Sten did not give up on his art. “Sometimes I painted a lot, other times only a little but I kept my hand in it because of my love for giving voice to my creative nature. I’ve exhibited in various locations and donated to charities and always had a piece of art in Jump Street’s Derby Day fundraising event. After retirement five years ago, I went full force into my creative passion for painting.”

Sten has worked mostly in acrylics but at times, as a divergence, he has included oil and mixed media in his styles. In addition, his work in acrylics is often completed with many different techniques of paint application – brush, palette knife, bubble wrap, paper towels and his fingers. “I’ve set works on fire or run pieces under water in order to come up with varying textures,” he says. His style and technique have changed over the years, and he has always been open to input from other artists in the area. “I am self-taught so the input I get from others in this field is so helpful and it allows me to grow in my very diverse creative styles and my abilities by listening to them suggest other techniques or methodologies. Some important local people to me have been Terrie Hosey, Rachel O’Connor, Nate Foster, Carrie Wissler-Thomas, and Debbie Smith.” He also spends time volunteering at Art Association of Harrisburg as a gallery host.

Sten’s art is informed by what he is seeing and sensing in his world. “I often think of how I can translate a song, an object, a lyric, a person, a world event into a piece of art that expresses what I am feeling or thinking,” he adds. When asked whose art he gathers inspiration from, the list of artists is long and includes Klimt, Picasso, Munch, and Van Gogh. He adds that although he doesn’t paint in the style of Van Gogh, he is drawn to Van Gogh’s life journey and his way of expressing himself through his art. He says, “My work doesn’t necessarily reflect these great artists, but their work inspires me – I was either born too late or I’m remembering a time that I once passed through.”

Sten’s passion and connection for art goes to the extent that thirteen years ago, when he turned fifty, he made sure he was not only in the Louvre but standing under the Mona Lisa at the exact day and moment he was born.

Sten’s work begins with an idea that he has and which he wants to turn into a piece of art. “I then think about it, maybe for a few months and then I’ll make a quick pencil sketch of it before I begin to lay down paint.” Although he works thoughtfully and slowly, he says that for every ten paintings he creates, he may decide to only bring one of them into the light of day in the art community. With his other works he will often overpaint or maybe just leave a few of his original ideas on the canvas as it morphs into something totally different than what he started with. “A good example of this is when I began working on a piece of art to give as a birthday gift to a friend. I wanted to do chrysanthemums, as that is her favorite flower, but it just wouldn’t develop in that way, and it became a portrait of a woman, and my friend loved it.”

He doesn’t keep a schedule for his painting but rather works when the inspiration hits him, which could be any hour of the day or night. He currently does his painting in his den, but he is in the process of building a studio where he can paint and host patrons and friends for an art inspired evening.

Sten is the first to say that he doesn’t have a particular style and, depending on what he is creating, his style will differ between how a person is portrayed and how a landscape is characterized. His wide range of techniques also add variance to his body of work.

A prime example of his thought processes and work is through the discussion of one of his paintings, Lost Balloon. “I was thinking about Paris one day and a walk along the Seine and even though there is no river in the painting, just an abstract sky, I knew how the painting would progress. I thought of that walk along the river and how many different things can be seen, including perhaps a red balloon that has escaped from the hand of a child and is now floating upward. The red balloon became the symbolism and feeling for this moment and the water is just an assumed unnecessary part of the painting.”

A serendipitous recent event involving Sten’s art and moving him fast forward in his career came after he had met Debbie Smith of Smith’s Gallery and Fine Custom Framing. It was immediately agreed that four of Sten’s artworks would be shown at the gallery with a show planned for October. One of the paintings was of sunflowers and a few prints of that piece were made. In the meantime, Rubicon restaurant was in the process of planning a fund-raising event for Ukraine, and Smith and Sten were both looking for a way to assist in this effort. Someone came into Smith’s Gallery and purchased the original sunflower painting, and a joint decision was made by Smith and Sten to contribute one hundred percent of the profit to Rubicon’s fundraising effort for Ukraine. Prints of the original are also available in the gallery.

Sten’s work has been seen in many local places in the area in long term exhibits and always during Art Walk, an annual event hosted by

Art Association of Harrisburg.

Sten’s advice to others who want to explore their artistic, creative side is this, “Absolutely do it, do not get discouraged, do not listen to those who say, ‘don’t do that!’. Even if you can’t do it full time do it as your passion and hobby. None of us are here for one hundred and fifty years, so just do it. I held myself back way too long. Listen to those who have constructive and positive critiques, do not listen to those who only want to criticize you.” He finishes this thought by stating, “Not everyone has to like my art, or even appreciate every single piece I do but I want them to at least consider it and even if the emotion is raw, it means the person was touched by it and even if you don’t like it, at least you have interacted with it.”

You can find Sten’s work on his website https://sten1959.wixsite. com/sten; and on Facebook: Dan Stencovage (Sten). Or you can email him at sten1959@gmail. com or text him at 717-5141706. Smith Gallery and Fine Art Framing has also produced an Art Talk YouTube video which can be found online, and a few of his paintings are still at the gallery.