Stephen (Steve) Field RBSA (born 3 June 1954 in
Saltash
Saltash () is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Cornwall". Saltash’s landmarks ...
, Cornwall) is an English sculptor,
mural
A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' ...
ist and
mosaic
A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...
ist, active mainly in the
West Midlands, particularly the
Black Country
The Black Country is an area of England's West Midlands. It is mainly urban, covering most of the Dudley and Sandwell metropolitan boroughs, with the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and the City of Wolverhampton. The road between Wolverhampto ...
, where a number of his works are on
public display. He has been resident artist and public art adviser to
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Dudley Council, is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England. The town of Dudley had been a borough since the thirteenth century, being reformed ...
, since 1988,
and is a member of the
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) is an art society, based in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England, where it owns and operates an art gallery, the RBSA Gallery, on Brook Street, just off St Paul's Square, Birmingham, St Pa ...
,
the
Contemporary Glass Society and the
British Association of Modern Mosaic.
He coordinated
Dudley's Millennium Sculpture Trail.
He studied at the
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...
, earning a degree in architecture, and
Wolverhampton Polytechnic
The University of Wolverhampton is a public university in Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, England, located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire. Originally founded in 1827 as the Wolverham ...
, where he achieved a master's degree in fine art.
He cites his influences as
futurism
Futurism ( ) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such as the ...
and
vorticism
Vorticism was a London-based Modernism, modernist art movement formed in 1914 by the writer and artist Wyndham Lewis. The movement was partially inspired by Cubism and was introduced to the public by means of the publication of the Vorticist mani ...
, the sculptor
Walter Ritchie
Walter Ritchie (1919–1997) was a British sculptor.
Biography
Ritchie was one of the last living pupils of Eric Gill at Pigotts near High Wycombe before the Second World War. Eric Gill died in 1940. Many of his public works were in stone, wood, ...
,
his
MPhil
A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at least ...
examiner
David Harding, and the
Mexican muralists.
In 1978 he painted a series of three murals on the gable ends of terraced houses at the eastern end of Heathfield Road,
Handsworth, Birmingham, in conjunction with
Paula Woof
Paula Woof is a British artist, best known as a painter, sculptor, muralist, mosaicist and art teacher. She has a number of works of public art, some in her on name and some made collaboratively with other artists, on display in the English Midl ...
and
Mark Renn
Mark Dennis Tate Renn (1952–2019) was a British sculptor who created several works of public art, mainly in the English Midlands.
Renn was born in 1952 and trained in Birmingham.
Although primarily known for his sculpture, his first commissi ...
.
These murals lasted around 27 years before being overpainted by new murals. In 1982, he painted an internal mural at
Frankley Community School, together with Woof and Renn.
The trio worked as "The Mural Company" and were profiled in a 1982
Central Television documentary, "Round About".
In June–July 1984, Field and Renn exhibited on murals, jointly, at
Bilston Museum and Art Gallery
Bilston Craft Gallery is the largest dedicated craft venue in the West Midlands, located at Mount Pleasant, Bilston, near Bilston town centre.
Building
The two-storey stone residential house was built in 1905 as a home for the Harper family ...
.
Field, Woof, Renn,
David Patten and
Derek Jones worked jointly as the
West Midlands Public Art Collective, which was active circa 1987.
He received the
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...
'Art for Architecture' Award in 1993 and an Arts and Business Award in 2005.
Field is married to fellow muralist
Cathryn Ryall, with whom he has collaborated artistically. Field has also completed several collaborations with the sculptor
John McKenna
John McKenna (; 3 January 1855 – 22 March 1936) was an Irish businessman, professional rugby player, and the first manager of the Liverpool Football Club which has since gone on to become the most successful football club in England.
Ear ...
.
Works
Bibliography
Field has also written articles about his work:
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References
External links
Field's LinkedIn profileField's RBSA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Steve
Living people
Members and Associates of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
English sculptors
English male sculptors
English muralists
1954 births
Alumni of the University of Sheffield
Alumni of the University of Wolverhampton
People from Saltash