Steven Richard Bakes was born on December 17 1954 in Brighouse, England. In 1959, he moved to Canada, residing in Sorel, Quebec for 10 years, then moved to Truro, Nova Scotia until 1975 when Steven made his home in Calgary. 

 

Primarily a self-taught artist, particularly in the field of pointillism, he studied commercial art for two years at the Turbo Vocational College, and visual communications at the Halifax College of Art - leaving to pursue his greater love of that time, classical guitar and musical composition. 

 

Steven’s first creative works were nature drawings in paste and charcoal. When his interest turned to abstract, he spent several years exploring a new medium, an innovative ink-technique he calls “bio-morphic abstraction” where the whole landscape and its details seem alive and growing with living shapes suggests themselves. This work culminated in a show with Great Western Artists in 1984, displaying a series of over 100 works. 

 

Over the years Steven’s interest and enthusiasm for the technique of pointillism has grown, since first being introduced to this method of drawing. He is self-taught in this art, having no mentors in this specialized field.

 

Exploring pointillism has become a major part of his artist goals. Steven sees himself as an explorer of new territory, for the world of dots has barely, to this point, been fully developed as a serious medium. It takes incredible patience and the technique is quite demanding for time. 

 

Steven’s optimistic approach to life is seen in all of his later pointillism works. There is a determination and degree of single-mindedness necessary to the mastery of his new art that keeps his work fresh and innovative. The possibilities inherent in drawing with a series of dots is virtually boundless, and the future is bright for pointillist artists like Steven Bakes.