Know the Artist
Steve Childs is best known for his figurative paintings of dancers and portraits. He has painted the human form and figure for fifty years. He has been featured in International Artist, The Portrait Signature, Dance Magazine, and three times featured in American Artist. He has been interviewed by numerous other publications including USA Today, Art of the West and The Artist's Magazine.
He has been a juror for many competitions including the International Portrait Competition. Some of his clients include the Crosby Golf Tournament, AMC Entertainment, Pinnacle Books, Ballantine Books, Neenah Paper, Yellow Freight Corporation, Furniture Today, ESPN, Wake Forest University, RJ Reynolds, Century Furniture, Integon Corporation, Wachovia Bank, North Carolina Dance Theater, Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, and the National Mining Association.
In 2007 Steve began creating and directing films, translating his visual passion for the human figure into a medium with motion. His first major project, the documentary And We Will Dance, won the Audience Choice Award at Real to Reel International Film Festival. In the past few years he has collaborated or self-produced other films and music videos. One of those films, Dog Down screened at 15 film festivals and won 6 awards. He continues to work on both painting and an occasional film project. Steve directed and produced the feature-length film Dancing in Angel Shadows which can be viewed for free on Vimeo at this link https://vimeo.com/130016408.
• Former Vice Chairman, American Society of Portrait Artists
• Studied at California College of the Arts
• BVA Degree (Georgia State University)
• MFA Degree (Utah State University)
Publications (partial list)
• American Artist (June 2002, February 1995 and Special Edition 2006-2007)
• International Artist (February 2001)
• USA TODAY (September 28, 2001)
• The Portrait Signature (September 1999)
• The Artist's Magazine, Art of the West, Dance Magazine, G Magazine, Furniture Today, Mid-Atlantic Country, Pursuits, Winston-Salem Magazine, Mining Voice, Winston-Salem Journal, Southern Living, Image, inSpire Magazine, Folio, Muse and Spirit
Clients/Collectors (partial list)
• AMC Entertainment
• Crosby Golf Tournament
• Wake Forest University
• Wachovia Bank
• Yellow Freight Corporation
• Integon Corporation
• Ballantine Books, Century Furniture, Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, Neenah Paper, Pinnacle Books, Forsyth Memorial Hospital, Senior Services, The Book of the Month Club, ESPN, RJ Reynolds, North Carolina Dance Theater, Winn-Devon, Charter Properties, National Mining Association, Kate B. Reynolds Foundation, Marie Mallouk Reynolds Foundation
Prominent Portraits
• The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell; Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
• Eugene Ludwig, Comptroller of the Currency for the U.S. Department of the Treasury; Director of the FDIC
• Haven Barlow, former Utah House of Representatives and Utah State Senate
• Garrison Keillor, best-selling author and host of National Public Radio's "A Prairie Home Companion"
• Arthur Tab Williams, Jr., CEO and Chairman of A.T. Williams Oil Company
• L. Glenn Orr, Jr., CEO of Southern National Bank; CEO of The Orr Group
• Dolph von Arx, President and CEO of Planters LifeSavers
• Ben Craig, President of First Union National Bank
• George McMillan Jr., Lt. Governor of Alabama; President of McMillan Associates
• Stan Durwood, Chairman and CEO of AMC Entertainment
• George Powell III, President of Yellow Freight Corporation
• Carmon DeLeone, Music Director Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and Cincinnati Ballet
• Rob Portman, United States Senator
• Richard Burr, United States Senator
• Senior United States District Judge Richard C. Erwin
• Senior United States District Judge Tom VanBebber
• Dr. Richard Boren, Founder Mandala Center
• Henry H. Jordan, II, President of Coville, Inc.
Lectures, Workshops, Awards, Panels, Shows, etc.
• Major Exhibition Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL 2012
• Honorable Mention Award, Salon International 2003, San Antonio, TX
• Taught workshop at Scottsdale Artists' School 2003, Scottsdale, AZ
• Featured speaker International Masters of Fine Art Invitational Exhibition, San Antonio, TX, 2003
• Led painting seminar "Faces, Figures and Fine Art” at the Palette and Chisel, Chicago, 2003
• Juror for the International Portrait Competition (2000, 2001, 2002)
• 2000 Juror for the Portrait Society of Atlanta's Members of Merit and Excellence Status
• Guest Lecturer at New York Society of Portrait Artists, Salmagundi Club, 2001
• Guest Lecturer at Reynolda House Museum of American Art, 2001
• Guest Lecturer at Utah State University, 2001
• Demo portrait for the Fellowship Of Artists in Portraiture, Salmagundi Club NYC, 2001
• Demo portrait for the Southeast Invitational Exhibit, Germanton, NC, 2002
• Juror for the final round of the 1998 Portrait Competition, a national competition held by ASOPA.
• Led critique sessions at The National Academy of Design, 2000, and the Art Students League of New York, 2001
• Lectured/demonstrated at the ASOPA Festival in Montgomery, AL,1998
• Led workshops at the Savannah College of Art and Design; Academy of Art College in San Francisco; PaintUtah Workshops in Logan, Utah; The Critz Center in VA; and Kansas City
• Work included in the 1997 Alabama Faces of Destiny Collection of Contemporary American Portraiture Exhibition, Montgomery, AL
• Finalist and received the Exceptional Merit Award at the 1996 National Portrait Competition sponsored by The Portrait Institute and American Artist magazine
• 1995 co-founded The Crit Group, a support group for artists in the Kansas City area.
• Grant recipient of the 1993 Liquitex Excellence in Art competition
• Finalist in 1993 and 1998 The Artist's Magazine's annual portrait competition
• Designed/created promotional poster for The North Carolina Dance Theater's International tour 1982 and had fundraiser benefit exhibitions for both the Cincinnati Ballet and the North Carolina Dance Theater.