top of page
While working through a dilemma with one of his students around the end of the 2016 school year, Steve McCarthy encountered a new area of exploration that would alter the trajectory of his visual-arts career. McCarthy, an art teacher for more than two decades who is currently assigned to Parkland High School in Winston-Salem, developed a new and versatile process that applies principles derived from the wax-resist technique that he is calling “pastel resist.”
McCarthy’s method involves crayon or oil pastel overlaid with acrylic, latex and enamel paints. Once dried, the top layer of paints is cut and removed, revealing a layer of color beneath. “This process was a discovery,” McCarthy said. “We were trying to figure out...
Read More
COLLAB Artist Residency Program Kicks Off at Brambleton Library:
A look at process with Artist Steven McCarthy
July 7, 2019
The inaugural COLLAB EAST Artist-in-Residence program launches this month with artist Steven McCarthy at Brambleton Library's Makerspace in Ashburn. McCarthy is influenced by the graphic nature of comics, as well as by artists Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Shepard Fairey. "My current works explore imagery ranging from pop-cultural iconography to natural representation. Color and shape actuate these stylized images while subtle patterns softly emerge," says McCarthy.
McCarthy uses a method he created himself, Pastel Resist. Using crayon, oil pastel, latex and enamel paints to create a color...
Read More
Coming Home: The Art of Steven McCarthy
Pastel Resist is a versatile process developed by artist Steven McCarthy. Utilizing principles derived from wax resist, this method uses crayon or oil pastel overlaid acrylic, latex and enamel paints. The paint is then cut with a knife and removed to reveal the color beneath. The Pastel Resist technique marks a new direction for Steven’s work.
Coming Home marks the return...
Read More
bottom of page