Steve Coppin
HAC Member Since: 2008
707-502-2279
http://www.stevecoppin.com
The visual arts have always been an important means of expression for me. One of my earliest art memories is of a 1st grade teacher's enthusiastic response to my crayon drawings. I was always drawing as a kid and in college, my area of interest was in drawing and printmaking. My formal education concluded with a degree in Art from Humboldt State University in 1973.
I worked at a community art center after graduating and have fond memories of the people I met and the experiences I had there. The next four years I worked as a letterpress printer in a small shop where I designed many of the jobs that I printed. I began my career as a freelance illustrator in 1981 when I moved to Seattle and made the rounds with a portfolio of newly created airbrush art. While working with advertising agencies, design studios and publishers, I illustrated a wide range of subjects and ideas which was a wonderful learning experience. It wasn’t unusual to meet with an art director in the afternoon and work the rest of the day and night on a project that was due first thing in the morning. When everything worked and the client was happy, it was very satisfying. In 1997, after watching the new work being created by computer artists, I began working with digital media and have never looked back. I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with many talented artists and design professionals in the Pacific Northwest and many large northwest and national corporations.
In 2006 I returned to Eureka on California’s beautiful north coast where I am originally from. In 2013, I moved once again to Crescent City, CA which is on the coast about 20 miles south of the California- Oregon border. I am now concentrating on my own art and am retired from commercial work. My studio is now centered around my iMac and iPad. I believe using computers and digital printers to produce art is a natural progression in fine art printmaking. I produce my own monoprints or limited edition prints on archival fine art paper with an eight color pigment inkjet printer. In addition to my art, I enjoy cycling and converting my rural yard into a redwood forest.
