My works use and subvert the practices of realist painting, suggesting the illusion of space while often thwarting that illusion within the same composition. They are finely crafted surfaces that are both tactile and illusionistic, employing labor-intensive mark-making to embody the concentrated attention and time inherent in observation. Sight is both powerful and deceptive. In my works, painting’s trickery and limitations become formal metaphors for the complexity of visual experience.
Steven Carrelli (b.1967, Canton, Ohio) is a Chicago-based visual artist. His work employs close observation and the contemplative nature of craft to explore the instability of perception. He holds an MFA from Northwestern University, and his work is included in the collections of the Illinois State Museum, the City of Chicago Public Art Program, Elmhurst University, Northwestern University, and DePaul University, among others.
