About Bruce R. Stam

Having studied with great contemporary artists, including Charles Reid, William Scott Jennings, Kate Starling and Matt Smith, Bruce Stam travels mostly in the Western Untied States and finds inspiration in the landscape.  A small plein air, or on-site, study is painted, then the study is brought to the studio and a finished piece of artwork emerges.  Stam feels it is important to paint out in the field and express the emotional impact of the scene through design and color.

Stam investigates the impact of color in painting. In his watercolor and oil paintings, Stam seeks to capture the essence of a person, the personality of a beloved pet, or the dynamics of a landscape by using color in surprising and harmonious ways. Stam begins each painting with an accurate sketch or plein air study that allows for an expressive use of color and design in the painting.  The interplay and magic of light permeates his work.

Stam’s art career began when he was quite young, when he won his first coloring contest. Since then, Stam has received several awards including purchase awards and a presidential award. Stam donates time to Artist-in-Residence programs to help young and older students develop artistic skills and teaches private lessons to students. The work and questions he receives from students further inspires his work as well.

My artwork is based on plein air studies.  Sometimes the pieces created on-site are finished pieces and sometimes they are completed in my studio.  At times, I work from photographs but I find that plein air painting is invaluable.

The photograph above was taken in Grand Teton National Park, along the Snake river.  As I finished the painting, a grizzly bear swam across the river.  Quite exciting to see.