Steve Bartlett

Steve Bartlett (United States, born 1961), Bare Minimum, 2020, stained and varnished wood, Courtesy of the artist 

Steve Bartlett (United States, born 1961), Bare Minimum, 2020, stained and varnished wood, Courtesy of the artist 

Material, process, and intuition are core concepts in the sculpture of Steve Bartlett. 

Intentionally ambiguous, his work draws on elements of abstraction, the human body, and nature.

He employs a self-taught construction technique that uses steam to soften wood in order to bend and assemble it. It is a direct, intuitive process in which he adds one piece of wood to the next and makes decisions along the way. He normally starts with a specific shape in mind but that idea invariably changes in the process. In the end, Bartlett hopes the sculptures retain evidence that they were made by hand.   

Confined to his home and studio in 2020, Bartlett pondered two things: his own mortality as well as the never-ending challenge to our democracy and its possible extinction. He was very upset about the sociopolitical climate and became more active in the election cycle. Bartlett shared, “my art does not address the pandemic but has perhaps provided me an activity to get me through it.”  

In 2020, he found inspiration in reviewing shapes, forms, and finishes in previous work and was struck by old ideas that still resonated with him. The large-scale bulbous sculptures, on view here, are a continuum in his exploration of three-dimensional objects, where mystery and ambiguity are key elements. He constructs each one with a single bent stick at a time—an extremely hands-on and evolutionary process. He applies a satin hard wax over varnish to achieve soft and absorbent effects in browns, blacks, and reds. For Bartlett, the colors possess emotive qualities that mirror his feelings from mid-2020. Within a singular form, he also instills some asymmetry and spontaneity; the shapes often change as a viewer discovers it in the round. Bartlett’s sculptures appear to be solid and light as well as playful and dramatic, leaving a lasting impression on the viewer. 

Watch the April 15, 2021 “Conversations with Maine Artists in a ______ Time” with artists Steve Bartlett, Rachel Church, Charles Schreiber, and Deborah Wing-Sproul.

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“Steve Bartlett’s work conjures thoughts of isolation during this year’s pandemic. His tones, textures, and craftsmanship really drew me to this work. I believe they are an excellent addition to this collection of work.”

- Jeremy Frey, Untitled juror 

EXPLORE MORE ARTWORKS FROM UNTITLED, 2020

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Rachel Church
Rachel Church

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Evelyn Wong
Evelyn Wong

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Charles Schreiber
Charles Schreiber

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veronica a perez
veronica a perez

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Titi de Baccarat
Titi de Baccarat

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Joshua Reiman
Joshua Reiman

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Eleanor Kipping
Eleanor Kipping

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Celeste Henriquez 
Celeste Henriquez 

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Steve Bartlett
Steve Bartlett

Material, process, and intuition are core concepts in the sculpture of Steve Bartlett. Intentionally ambiguous, his work draws on elements of abstraction, the human body, and nature.

Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams

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Greta Bank
Greta Bank

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Henry Austin
Henry Austin

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Anna Dibble
Anna Dibble

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Deborah Wing-Sproul 
Deborah Wing-Sproul 

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Christopher Dudley
Christopher Dudley

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Rosamond Gross
Rosamond Gross

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Gregory Jamie
Gregory Jamie

We find mythic beings, whose bodily forms are androgynous or otherwise unspecified, caught in nightmarish landscapes—some wear masks and tease animals, others float in rivers or baths, perhaps conversing with spirits.

Enrique Mendía
Enrique Mendía

In Maine, Enrique Mendía began to experiment with making and telling tales through photographs, words, and film. His affection for fiction and for photography as a tool for documentation coalesce in Loveshack, a loose-leaf book about a love story.

Meghan Mitchell
Meghan Mitchell

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Elijah Ober
Elijah Ober

Elijah Ober’s video practice honors small creatures as proxies of encompassing ecosystems and histories. In his work, the artist co-opts, subverts, and reveres the slippery power of digital images to embody themselves and alter our physical and social structures.

Ashley Page
Ashley Page

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Julie Poitras Santos
Julie Poitras Santos

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Sally Stanton
Sally Stanton

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Giles Timms
Giles Timms

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ARRT! (Artists’ Rapid Response Team!)
ARRT! (Artists’ Rapid Response Team!)

Artists’ Rapid Response Team! (also known as ARRT!) is a collective of year-round members of the Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA). UMVA is dedicated to upholding the dignity of artists, while creating positive social change through the arts.

Graeme Kennedyuntitled artists