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
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.
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
Pre-post of an upcoming blog post by Robin Bond Interior Design
I thought it would be smart to post this content that I provided for a blog post by Robin Bond Design this fall. It is about how I work as a photographic fine artist with my clients who commission my art.
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BIO: Johnny Stevens was raised in Lenoir, NC, where he attended high school at Asheville School for Boys, studied photography and studio art at Fleming College, Florence Italy, psychology at Wake Forest University, and at Appalachian State studied Radio-TV-Film. In 1980 he attended The University of Texas Graduate Film School, where he was awarded a Student Academy Award in 1982 for a short film. He founded HORIZON Film & Video, Inc. in Austin, and spent 28 years behind motion picture and video cameras producing and directing hundreds of films and videos of all genres, all the while honing his eye for balance and composition that would fuel his passion for photography. He is currently enjoying photography as his sole profession in Austin specializing in architectural, interior design, and portrait photography – which feeds his bank account, but it is the abstract fine art photography that feeds his soul.
In terms of photographic composition, I always start by following the rules…. but only in anticipation of breaking those rules. In my abstract fine art work my task is to discover opportunities to build mystery – to create an image that make the viewer curious. My quest is to reveal unique perspectives the ordinary that others would not otherwise see.
Although I have an extensive abstract fine art portfolio, by far my favorite collection is my Rust Rapture Series. These are all images that I photographed over the last 8 years at the Lone Star Kustom Car Roundup which attracts owners of rat rods from around the nation. Rat Rods are vintage hot rods whose exteriors have been left to the demise of mother nature – rain, wind, blazing sun, and occasionally the owner’s belt sander. The amalgam of colors and textures that I find on the exteriors of these cars is unbelievable.
Deep Sea Dive is actually about a 3 square inch section of the hood of a 1940 Willy’s Coup. I love the movement in this print. I love it so much that I hired the owner to bring his car to Austin to show it off outside of the O2 Gallery in Austin where I held my last exhibit. The crowd loved it!
1940 Willy’s Coup fine art print from Rust Rapture collection
Radioactive is extracted from the door of a 1941 Chevy sedan. The bold texture is what makes this one of my favorites – very masculine.
Radioactive fine art print from Rust Rapture collection
For those who need a hint of reality, Hidden Faces offers a visual anchor within the bold textures – the door handle of a 1952 Chevy.
1952 Chevy Truck door fine art print from Rust Rapture collection
And one of my best selling prints is Hidden Agenda which I discovered on the fender of a 1948 International KBL. This print has spectacular color and graces the walls of both a spectacular home on the 8th hole of the TPC Sawgrass golf course as well as the office of a VP of Marketing in Austin. This print has rhythm!
1948-International-KBL fine art print from Rust Rapture collection
One thing I love about these Rust Rapture prints is that since they are abstract, they can often be hung as landscape or portrait prints – whichever the beholder prefers.
I enjoy being involved in the creative process of choosing from the dozens of images I have in this collection. I can crop and resize each image to fit the installation. Also creating a diptic or a triptic is easily done as I did for “Crystallized” which hangs in the lobby of a saw firm downtown Austin. Canvas is one of my favorite substrates for printing but fine art luster paper beautifully framed is always a safe way to go. Often, to make it easier for my clients, I ask them to send me photo of the wall on which they are considering installing a print – even a phone pic – and I can easily photoshop the print, scaled to size, onto the wall and send it back to them so they can see how the design and the colors of the print work with that room. It helps taking the guess work out.
2016 Rat Rod Show
I know you guys are just dying to know how my shoot at the Lonestar Custom Car Roundup when last weekend….
I was very distraught with the lack of rat rods, as they are going out of fashion. People are back into polished restoration of their cars.
Dejected, I was walking out of the show when I stumbled on this beauty
Fine Art
Johnny’s Abstract / Photographic Fine Art gallery is one of his most captivating of his collections. As one of the most popular photographic art photographers in Texas, he masterfully transforms images of common elements and nature into art via creative editing techniques in Photoshop.
Johnny’s fine art images are also available for print and licensing. His most popular fine art collection is the “Rust Rapture” series, which was recently featured in Austin’s O2 Gallery and the Caldwell Arts Council, garnering rave reviews from various art enthusiasts:
“I am fascinated with Johnny’s Rust Rapture photographs. They are mesmerizing amalgamations of movement, color and organic patinas. Bravo!” – Francine Affourtit
This art can be purchased with original signatures (limited availability). Please contact Johnny for more information on customization or commissions.
Click here for print options and ordering!
