Artist Stephen C. Spears grew up as a “military brat”, living in exotic locations for short periods of time. Creating artwork has always been an important part of his life. He is an avid student of art history and sculpture from around the world. His travels have enabled him to work with some of the greatest artists of our time.
Stephen’s medium of choice is bronze. “I welcome the challenge of bringing the illusion of movement, a variety of textures, and a feeling of warmth to an essentially cold, still piece of metal. It’s exciting to bring the metal to life, to create a story with my bare hands.” While he enjoys creating monuments, Stephen also undertakes portrait commissions. He loves the challenge and has a gift for creating a likeness. His love for art and his desire to convey a message of hope, faith, respect and inspiration are the goals he strives to reach and share through his sculpture. In his work we see an honesty we might not have been aware of before.
Stephen has been given the incredible privilege of creating a monument in tribute to the U.S. Navy’s involvement in the DDAY invasion of WWII. The monument portrays the Command, Implementation and Aftermath of a day that changed the course of history. The 16 x 12 x 12 foot monument - Operation Neptune: The United States Navy Monument at Normandy will be dedicated and placed on Utah Beach in Normandy, France Sept. 27, 2008.
In Cantigny, France, Stephen recently installed a monumental bronze sculpture of a WWI 28th Infantry Regiment "Doughboy" commemorating the first battle American forces fought and won in Europe. A monumental sculpture fountain commission titled “Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy” is in progress and will honor those who have served our country in all branches of the military, from the past, the present and into the future. Stephen's composition honors the families who have sacrificed with their service, as well as the men and women who wear the military uniform.
An artist since childhood, Stephen got sidetracked by “life”, and spent many years doing engineering work with computers. In 1998, he left that industry to follow his passion for art full time. He and his wife, Katy, are raising their 4 children on their alpaca farm in Fairhope, Alabama. Stephen is active in promoting the arts in his community. He has offered classes and sponsored art workshops with nationally known artists in order to enhance arts education in his region. Stephen was active in establishing Fairhope’s own public art program.
To see more of Stephen’s work, please visit www.spearscreativestudio.com