The art of Steven Lee Smeltzer
Steven
Lee Smeltzer's artistic odyssey began in a ceramics class in his last year
of college. He knew from the beginning that this was to be his life's work.
His intention was to make pottery; but every time he would make a bowl
or a cup, he would add a face to it. Eventually, he stopped making the
bowls and the cups and concentrated on making the faces on his very distinctive
creatures. An avid surfer, Steven was drawn to the island of Maui, Hawaii.
Here he lived and worked for thirty years, drawing inspiration for his
work from the lush, tropical lifestyle. His most unique marine-life characters
evolved from his deep love and respect for the ocean, with his own peculiar
twist. Steven makes no secret of the fact that his favorite artist was
Dr. Seuss - no big surprise to his many collectors. Steven's sculpture
are made of high-fire stoneware; the eyes from porcelain clay. After the
pieces have dried, they are dipped or sprayed with an oxide stain, which
is then partially wiped off before the firing process. The vibrant colors
of his work are achieved by applying acrylic paint, followed by a light
misting of clear acrylic.
See Steven Lee Smeltzer talk about his work
Quicktime Movie (29.5MB - Requires Broadband and Quicktime
7)
Steven
Lee Smeltzer -
Slideshow
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1 of 16 |
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| Small Fish Fantasticos |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 5" x 5" - $190 |
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SS106 |
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2 of 16 |
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| Smooch Group |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 9" x 10" - $395 | 10" x
13" - $650 |
| SS101 | SS117 |
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3 of 16 |
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| Twitters |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 16" x 10" - $395 |
| SS84 |
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4 of 16 |
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| Snaegel Snail |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 6" x 6" - $135 |
| SS103 |
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5 of 16 |
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| Quack Ups |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 14" to 20" high by 9" wide - $395 |
| SS01 |
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6 of 16 |
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| Geckos |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 9" long - $150|16" long - $275 |
| SS106 | SS106L |
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7 of 16 |
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| Seafood Chain |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 12" x 15" - $695 |
| SS57 |
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8 of 16 |
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| The Optimist |
| Clay Sculpture |
| approx. 16" x 17" - $695 |
| SS58 |
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9 of 16 |
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| Water Taxi |
| Clay Sculpture |
| approx. 14" x 8" x 13" - $575 |
| SS09W |
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10 of 16 |
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| The Honeymooners |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 7" x 9" - $295 | 11" x
12" - $650 |
| SS62 | SS10 |
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11 of 16 |
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| Large Fish Fantastico |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 11" x 12" - $395 |
| SS11 |
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12 of 16 |
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| Sitting Menehunes |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 4" x
5" - $36 |
| SS03 |
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13 of 16 |
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| Menehune Swingers |
| Clay Sculpture |
| Single - 5" x 4" - $42 | Double - 5" x 5" - $48 |
| SS96 | SS09 |
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14 of 16 |
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| Menehune on Moons |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 1 Menehune - 14" x 7" - $98 | 2 Menehunes - 14" x 7" - $118 |
| SS23 | SS23A |
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15 of 16 |
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| Bebop Menenhune |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 7" x 2" - $35 |
| SS95 |
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15 of 16 |
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| Surfer Dude |
| Clay Sculpture |
| 22" x 10" - $650 |
| SS38 |
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