07/05/2023
When asked where his favorite place to paint is, Steve BonDurant’s answer is “the next place.”
Years after earning a BFA in medical illustration from RIT, Steve pivoted his observational training from the human body’s inner workings to the great outdoors. “The need for accuracy and realism is essential for technical illustration,” says BonDurant. “Seeing what I can get away with, where I can be elusive, and the contrast of lost and found edges in a plein air landscape excites me.”
Art, commercial or fine, BonDurant is always involved with something creative. His mother and father fanned his flames by encouraging drawing, painting, and calligraphy from his early years, leading to his first sales as a youngster. In 1999, BonDurant began studying under Don Stone, NA, which triggered a new way of seeing the world. Steve still uses Stone’s warm and cool primary color palette, inspired by the famous Cape Anne painter and Rochester native Emile Gruppé.
Steve’s award-winning oil paintings are available at Pat Rini Rohrer Gallery in Canandaigua, where he teaches, and at Pittsford Fine Art, where he is a founding member. He’s a long-time signature member of the Rochester Art Club and a founding signature member of Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters.
Meet the July featured artist on First Friday, July 7, from 5 to 8 pm. Steve will briefly discuss his palette, method, and vision with examples of work in progress.
Pittsford Fine Art, a gallery owned and run by 23 prominent regional painters, is open Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 5 pm; Friday, noon to 8 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm. Parking is available in front of the gallery, at 4 North Main Street, or in the nearby public parking lot. Pittsford Fine Art is on the web at pittsfordfineart.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/PittsfordFineArt.
