Rust Rapture Collection
Rust Rapture Collection
I am starting to post some of my Rust Rapture Collection which is culled from 8 years of shooting Rat Rods (Old vintage hot rods whose exteriors have been left to the demise of mother nature…) “TENACITY” is one of my first and favorites. It is a 1938 Buick drivers door panel and door hinge. I have found several facebook groups who are interested in this same kind of work. They are RUST Avant*Garde, Rust Art and Rusted Art. This one is hanging on the kitchen wall of my brother in law and sister in Winston-Salem.
Fine art photograph TENACITY – 1938 Buick rat rod Drivers Door Hinge
Photoshoot for Ecklund Elevator
I was just asked to do a Photoshoot for Ecklund Elevator. This is a different type of architectural photography challenge. Here is my client’s comments:
Johnny took photos for me for a work project. The images came out beautiful. I have photos taken all over the country and his were the best of the best. I HIGHLY recommend Johnny! If you hire him you will not be disappointed.
Interior Hotel Lobby Ecklund Elevator in Four Seasons Hotel Austin photography by Johnny Stevens photo
Interior Hotel Lobby Ecklund Elevator in Four Seasons Hotel Austin photography by Johnny Stevens photoraphy
Serene pier
- At March 28, 2018
- By Johnny Stevens
- In Accent Photography, landscape, nature, scenic
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Serene pier
Saw this scene while biking on Shining Sea Bikeway looking out at Martha’s Vineyard Sound. Wood’s Hole, Massachusetts. The background was boring so I stole a sunset I shot in Hilton Head Island and dropped it in. I love the serenity of the mossy pier with the kingfishers perched on top.
Serene pier in martha’s vineyard
Rust Rapture installations
Rust Rapture installations.
Two new installations of my abstract photography collection called Rust Rapture.
First is a 42 x 36 canvas print of “Aqua Marine” a close shot of the front fender of a 1935 GM Truck rat rod. This is hanging in the Den of Ryan and Whitney Hsu in Winston Salem.
“Aqua Marine” rust rapture canvas print in Winston Salem
“Fusion” rust rapture canvas print in Winston Salem
The second is “Fusion” which I extracted from the driver door of a 1940 Buick rat rod. This one is hanging in the entry foyer of the home of Robin and Wayne Mosle in Washingon, DC. This is a 60 x40 paper print on Epson Luster Paper.
“Fusion” rust rapture canvas print in Washington DC
abstract photographer austin “Fusion” rust rapture canvas print in Washington DC
Both of these prints are interesting because they each have an anchor point to give you a sense for what you are looking at. Fusion has a small door knob in the top left. And Aqua Marine has a bit of the headlight on the right.
Fusion – abstract photography
It is not often that I print my Rust Rapture pieces on paper – normally I print on canvas because they print up so well in large formats like 2 x 3 feet. This client asked for a large format print on epson luster paper so they could frame it for their front foyer. This piece is called Fusion. It is from a 1940 Buick Rat Rod. These abstract photographs are all derived from the exteriors of old vintage hot rods whose exteriors have been left to the demise of mother nature – the heat, rain, sun and belt sanders. The resulting patinas are spectacular. Often these print can be hung in any direction but on Fusion, there is a door knob – yep that is a door knob in the top left which sort of need to be in the right place.
Mosle Installation of Fusion Abstract Photography
Light Painting an Orchid
Light Painting an Orchid.
For his lesson today, Nolan who I mentor in the independent studies program at Westlake High School, we light painted this orchid. We lit the plant with a small led flashlight and looked at each image on my ipad by using the Cam Ranger system plugged into the Canon 5d Mark 3 camera. We ended up with 10 different images of varying lighting on the orchid that we layered and masked together to create this final image. We back lit the flowers and front lit the flower buds. The back lighting helped pop out the dramatic edges of the flower petals.
Light Painting an Orchid by Nolan and Johnny
These are some of the light painted images that we blended together to make the final Orchid image.
Light Painting an Orchid
New Rust Rapture Abstract Fine Art Photos
New Rust Rapture Abstract Fine Art Photos
I attended this years Lone Star Kustom Car Roundup as I have for the last seven years and was not disappointing with the rat rod turn out. These Rat Rods are the source of my Rust Rapture images. I just submitted a portfolio of my Rust Rapture Collection to Left Bank Art and included an artist statement that I had written years ago that is sort of fun to read. It is included below after these images from my2017 harvest of abstract images.
1960 Chevy El Camino Rust Rapture fine art photography Austin
1960 Chevy El Camino H Rust Rapture fine art photography austin texas
1934 Ford Truck Rust Rapture fine art photography austin texas
1952 Chevy Pickup Truck Rust Rapture fine art photography austin texas
1946 Chevy Pickup Truck Rust Rapture fine art photography austin texas
1946 Chevy Pickup Truck f Rust Rapture fine art photography austin texas
1929 Ford Model A Rust Rapture fine art photography austin texas
1929 Ford Model A Rust Rapture fine art photography austin texas
1959 Chrystler Windsor Rust Rapture fine art photography austin texas
Artist Statement
Johnny Stevens
I was raised in a tiny town in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Our house had a white picket fence in the backyard within which 5 of us kids ran naked throughout our childhood; seriously, naked. The boundaries of my soon-to-be border-less and open mind set were clearly being established without my knowledge. Weekly, the DDT fog truck would drive by the house to kill mosquitoes and we would frolic on foot or bike behind it…. unwitting of the disastrous effects of this dangerous chemical. The resulting effects of DDT on my brain synapses are likely one reason today, I am so attracted to the abstract. Salvador Dali has always been one of my favorite artists, and I sometimes wonder if I observe life more like his surreal representations than what other people see, especially through the lens of a camera. Constantly surveying my surroundings, I find myself hunting for a chance to reveal the obscure – to reveal unique perspectives of ordinary images that are normally overlooked.
Despite the white fence upbringing, I have always harbored the rebel spirit, loving to break the rules, like parking where one should not. In abstract art, there is a sense of freedom in breaking the rules, partly because the art itself has done lots of the rule breaking part. One may say that I really have not broken anything, only revealed it.
Having broken lots of rules in prep school, my parents shipped me off to Fleming College in Florence, Italy. There I was encouraged to break away – in spirit, and on the weekends, on foot. This art institute was housed in a glorious 300 year old Tuscan Villa fit for royalty with breathtaking views of the rolling Tuscan vineyards. Most of the art training I had there was in the dungeon of the villa, a perfectly damp and remote place to host a photographic dark room. The ambient red light, the rancid smell of the print developer and stop bath, and the wrinkled skin on my fingers are all much more vivid for me today than the black and white prints I created years ago. In the adjacent chamber, which must have been the disciplinary whipping room at one time – as the sounds of screams could never have penetrated its thick stone walls – was where our charcoal drawing exercises were held. It became clear on the first day of sketching exercises, when a sleek Italian lady entered the room and promptly dropped her robe, that this cold, damp and very quiet room several floors below ground was also probably the safest place to host naked models.
Up on the Mezzanine of the Villa were perched our oil paints, canvas and easels. I had a spectacular view of the pool and the stately pool cabana which had been transformed into the theater and drama department. Abstract painting was my go-to genre, though I toughed out a few landscapes. Though I have always admired Salvador Dali’s surrealistic paintings, my thesis painting was a dead ringer of “clin d’oeil à Picasso” by Bochaton Emmanuelle. Interestingly, today in my abstract photography I still look for patterns that are disrupted, yet try to honor balance in the composition. It is precisely this theme that became an obsession for me when I discovered the inherent beauty of the rhythms, textures and colors right on the chassis of rat rods.
Eight years ago when I first attended the Lone star Rod and Kustom Car Round-up in Austin, I was blown away by the spectacular beauty of the cars’ organic finishes – particularly the “rat rods” – hot rods whose exterior finish have been subjected to harsh elements –rain, sun, heat and occasionally an owner’s belt sander. The blend of old paint and rust creates a stunning patina. Each photo is an energetic amalgamation of textures and colors creating bold movement and intense mystery. These vintage cars span 40 years and range from a 1924 Ford Model T to a 1966 Chevy. Six years in the making, these “Rust Rapture” images are my favorites in my fine art portfolio.
ARTIST BIO
Johnny Stevens is a commercial and fine art photographer in Austin, Texas. His most popular art photography collection is called Rust Rapture. These photographic images have gained international recognition and are currently displayed worldwide in select boardrooms, offices, hotels, and elite residences. The Rust Rapture images capture the very close up sections of the distressed exterior finishes of vintage “hot rod” or “rat rod” cars. Photographed by an Austin photographer, these pieces have a story clients will love to tell.
The collection is inspired by revealing the mystery that is created from the bold mix of textures, colors and movement. The images display a variety of gorgeous colors and are commanding as large canvas prints in a modern or traditional setting.
“Eight years ago when I first attended the Lone star Rod and Kustom Car Round-up in Austin, I was blown away by the spectacular beauty of the cars’ organic finishes – particularly the “rat rods” – hot rods whose exterior finish have been subjected to harsh elements –rain, sun, heat and occasionally an owner’s belt sander. The blend of old paint and rust creates a stunning patina. Each photo is an energetic amalgamation of textures and colors creating bold movement and intense mystery. These vintage cars span 40 years and range from a 1924 Ford Model T to a 1966 Chevy. Six years in the making, these “Rust Rapture” images are my favorites in my fine art portfolio.” – Johnny Stevens
Rust Rapture installation at Benchmark Bank
I have been honored with yet another Rust Rapture installation at Benchmark Bank in Westake. ” ” This photograph is a fine art canvas triptych print of “Saddle Up” which is a close up of the door panel of a 1954 Ford Custom Pickup Truck. Saddle Up is one the images in my Rust Rapture Collection.
Benchmark Rust Rapture Installation called Saddle Up
The panels are 24 inches by 36 inches each. Check it out when you are in the area. Benchmark Bank is at 3811 Bee Cave Rd, Austin, TX 78746, right behind Victory Medical on Bee Caves
Ladies of Benchmark Bank in Westlake
Tell the ladies (Sheila, Claire, Taylor and Marlee) I sent you. By the way, while you are there go ahead and open a checking account. These guys are awesome.
Architectural Accent photography can be more alluring than the whole room.
Sometimes I get so wrapped up about shooting my conventional architectural angles and scenes that I forget to look around me for accent photos. Architectural Accent photography often tells a more intriguing story than the entire room in which it is featured. In this first example, this vintage bank vault door in Houston makes a loud statement about the gobs of money and cash happy history of the old oil days of south Texas.
Vintage Bank Vault Door
This accent photo is one I saw while shooting at University Crossings in Charlotte. It is in the entry way to the leasing office of the property.
University Crossings Charlotte Lobby architectural accent photography
New Rust Rapture Installation in Westlake
As an portrait and architectural photographer in Austin, I get busy and often put my other passion- fine art photography – to the side. Time to catch up. This new Rust Rapture installation in Westlake, Austin, Texas features one my favorites from my Rust Rapture fine art photography collection. This piece is called “Tangled up in Blue”. It is the trunk of a 1949 Ford Coupe rat rod that I shot at the Lone Star Kustom Car Roundup that convenes here in Austin each year. That event is coming up April 7 and 8. This piece has a bit of hardware on it that offers the viewer sort of a visual anchor to give some indication what it is. The hardware is the hinges of the trunk. I think people like having this anchor in their abstract choices. I love seeing how my fine art clients react to different pieces. Some that I think are not that spectacular people adore. I guess that means that art really is in the eye of the beholder.
Tangled up in Blue is a 1949 Ford Coupe trunk from the Rust Rapture collection
