Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Whitlock.
Steve, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My many years as a fishing guide and sportsman in the Florida Everglades led me to the most rewarding career anyone could ask for: being a Marine Artist. Growing up in Florida, I knew I had a talent for drawing and painting but it took a construction accident in 1993 to change my life. At 33, with support from my wife and family, I decided to pursue a new direction and applied to the Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, FL, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Illustration.
Since that time, I’ve focused on illustrating saltwater game fish and wildlife onto navigational charts and traditional fine art paintings. We now travel from South Texas to Florida doing some 30 fine art shows and events each year. We also provide framed art for a number of charity fishing tournaments, as well as design and offer our own line of fishing apparel.
Some of our corporate clients include Bass Pro Shops, Coastal Conservation Association (Texas and Florida), National Rifle Association, Tervis Tumbler, NOAA, WorldCat Boats, Century Boats, Hell’s Bay Boatworks, Bertram Yachts and more.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
For the first 13 years or so of my career I focused on illustrating saltwater marine life and game fish onto NOAA Navigational Charts. I have to be very specific and feature the indigenous species for the geographical location of the chart. I found matching species and location to the market was a huge success. After creating approximately 60 custom illustrated charts, I’ve managed to connect the locations and species from New England to Texas. These I reproduce as limited edition signed and numbered prints, and also as much smaller open edition reproductions. My primary medium is Acrylic though I also work with pencil, colored pencil and watercolor. More recently I have been doing more traditional paintings of fish and marine life. I love doing split scenes with half the image above the water and half below. Part of my job includes being a diver, angler, photographer and boatman. I spend countless hours fishing and photographing my subjects to capture the natural beauty and details.
We also have a number of commercial clients and licensing agreements in place: American Products Group produces our “Sportsman’s Cutting Boards”, Designs Unlimited our “Real Deep” apparel line, Bass Pro Shops sells our art online and in various stores, and Coastal Conservation Association uses our art for fundraising auctions (we strongly support their conservation efforts).
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
I think it’s not protecting one’s artwork. We display in many art shows around the country and I am shocked that only a few artists actually copyright their work with the Library of Congress. The world is full of pirates wanting to steal your intellectual property and it is no different with my artwork. Allowing people with digital cameras in your booth is also not a good idea. We’ve had 5 major cases either go to the Federal Court or Mediation. I’ve prevailed in all 5 cases costing the offenders tens of thousands of dollars in damages and attorney fees. I strongly suggest all artists visit the Library of Congress website at www.copyright.gov and educate yourselves. Protecting works of any kind is not expensive and can be accomplished online. If you don’t file this way, you cannot sue in “Federal Court” nor collect statutory damages or court costs. It is inexpensive insurance for protecting property and hard work.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My art and apparel can be seen at https://stevewhitlock.com or online at https://basspro.com. We provide art for all Texas Coastal Conservation Association Banquets, as well as all the Florida Coastal Conservation Association banquets. In addition, my wife and I display my art at 30+ fine art shows, festivals, and boat shows a year including the Houston Fishing Show in March and Rockport Fine Art Festival in conjunction with the 4th of July weekend. Dates and locations can be found on my website.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1072 47th Street, Sarasota, Florida 34234
- Website: https://steve-whitlock-game-fish-art-inc.myshopify.com/
- Phone: (941)359-8106
- Email: steve@stevewhitlock.com
- Instagram: @stevewhitlockart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.whitlock.14
Image Credit:
All images property of Steve Whitlock Game Fish Art Inc, Copyright 2018
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