Artist of the Month :  Steve Easby

                                                          by Louise Kissane, collector 

  I first saw Steve Easby’s work at the Portal in Dover Street when I walked in one day to take a look.  I was quite taken aback

  when I realised the paintings were almost all of Lake Como in Italy.  I have lived on the Italian Lakes for almost half a century

  and have a house on Lake Maggiore, but I still suffer withdrawal symptoms when I have to travel elsewhere, so it was like a

  breath of fresh air to be transported back home while still in the middle of London.

  I put my name on their mailing list and enquired whether the artist would be willing to travel to Italy for a private commission –

  to paint the view from my house, which is a breathtaking close-up of Palazzo Borromeo on the Isola Bella.  To my surprise the

  answer was ‘yes’.

  Steve Easby’s work goes way beyond the art of photography.  His paintings are almost three-dimensional, such is the attention

  to detail.  I was then privileged to have the opportunity to see him at work when he came to stay.  He did in fact take endless

  photographs and made hundreds of sketches and all in different lights and at different times of day.  So, although he called the

  final painting “Before Noon”, it almost seems to incorporate several time frames.  You feel you can actually step into the painting

  and take part - that all it needs is a soundtrack to bring it to life.

                                            ' A misty haze over the Isola Bella'  2007 oil/ linen  71 x 117 cms

  His other favourite subject is of course Venice, probably the most over-exposed city on the planet.  But Steve manages to bring

  something new and refreshing to it every time.  By playing with the effects of light, familiar views take on a different role.  I can

  never tire of looking at Steve’s paintings; they provide me with just the right amount of relaxation, peace and contentment.

                                               'Life on the Grand Canal' 2006 oil / linen 48 x 89 cms