Intimate glimpses the art of Steven Ricks

The works of Steven Ricks make us part of an intimate moment of two people loving each other. We don't get to see the whole scene, we have to continue the visual story ourselves. Make it complete with our own fantasy's and experiences. You see body parts teasing each other but the the act of sex is never shown. Intimate glimpses of the body that during the act of sex we, the participants, don't get to see. The sights that only one partner might have the pleasure to see. The usage of warm colors and shadows gives us the suspense of heat and passion, never explicit but almost touchable. The last works shown in the gallery are a small example of his later work. For me it's a combination of the surrealistic landscapes and attributes from old grandmaster Salvador Dali and computer manipulated images. It has the same illusionistic approach and playfulness. In my opinion it's more about this illusion and creating unreal worlds then the erotic tension he has displayed in the earlier works. Artist background After finishing high school Steven Ricks attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago. After two years of school, he began working as an assistant in Chicago photography studios There he worked with a variety of clients. At the age of 24, Steven opened his own studio in the River North section of Chicago where he acquired clientele such as. Christ Hospital, Hope Childrens Hospital, Quaker Oats Chicago, Chicago Magazine, Sears, JCPenny, WBBM Channel 2 Chicago. Five years ago The Studio went completely digital and Steven became acquainted with Adobe Photoshop. "I have always loved to paint and draw but I was always limited by my artistic ability Through Adobe, I can now create on paper the places that I long to visit in my head. I love the female form and almost always draw my creativity from the sexuality of the photos. Steven Ricks will be exhibiting in New York at the Agora Gallery The 8th of December 2004.