COLOR IS ABUNDANT in the latest art project undertaken by Versailles artist Steve Sawyer. Best known locally for his murals in downtown Versailles, Sawyer says doing portraits in oil gave him a chance to make a living as an artist. (Photo submitted)
Known locally for his murals in public spaces and nationally for Art for God – his nontraditional portraits of Jesus – Versailles artist Steve Sawyer says he’s never wanted to be known as an equine artist.
“So I had to forge my own way and figure out what kind of artist I wanted to be,” he says.
Instead of doing equine art, Sawyer says he focused on doing portraits in oil because those paintings gave him a chance to make a living as an artist. He’s tried many other forms of art too, including stained glass and computer animation.
So when Sawyer was contacted by a friend of a friend to do a commission for Debbie and Larry Jones, he viewed painting a life-size colt sculpture for them as an opportunity for him to get paid doing what he loves to do – creating art.
“So I was happy to do it, and I came up with a really nice design for them that they really like,” he says.
Sawyer says the colt was placed on a concrete pad in the couple’s backyard in Lexington where his art can be enjoyed by them, their family and friends.
His murals, including one featuring the silks of several local horse farms, are on exterior walls of buildings in downtown Versailles for all to enjoy.
Likewise, Sawyer describes designing and painting the Welcome to Versailles and Welcome to Midway signs as other opportunities to create art for a community that he loves. “As long as I can call it art,” he says of his creative outlets, “I might try it.”