"My backyard is what I paint. The train that passes every day, seeing the graffiti, the textures, even some of the homes that are broken down and decaying – truly inspires me. The way the surfaces age with time, to me they show their true beauty."
"Being a Latino, I can inspire other kids and give them hope. If I can make this happen, you can too. I hope that I can bring them hope and joy with the work that I do."
Steve Javiel is an Oakland based artist who works from his studio space at Jackknife Studios. His work focuses around experimenting and recreating the aged, decayed, and layered surfaces he finds in his environment. "By painting my own representations of these surfaces, I form a connection to it, and I am paying homage to it as if it is a wise elder. These surfaces have emotions and stories to tell and I feel they are revealed if you are willing to look past the ?ugliness? of them." Steve uses acrylic, oils, pumice, joint compound, paper, posters, spray paint, and whatever else he can get his hands on to create layers on top of layers until the surfaces take on a life of their own. His most recent work has included abstract representations of flowers, using the same treatment to surfaces.
Steve Javiel recently completed his very first mural, Community Justice Action,?in Downtown Oakland as part of the murals that have been painted over storefront barricades in protest of police violence and the murder of George Floyd.
Contact: www.stevejaviel.com