Get to Know... Steve Horan

Steve Horan's acrylic paintings are colorful celebrations of urban and rural landscapes.

One of a Kind:  How did you get started?

Steve:  I got started doing "artsy" stuff by playing with my father's professional tools:  hard pastels and drawing pencils.  My father was Harry O. Horan, a commercial artist and founding member of the Artists' Guild of Chicago.

One of a Kind:  Who or what inspires your work?

Steve:  I first knew I was going to be an artist about 55 years ago.  My parents took me to an exhibition of paintings by Vincent Van Gogh at the Art Institute of Chicago.  I remember looking at many of his self-portraits.  In room after room, his eyes were telling me, "This is who you are, you are just like me, you must spend the rest of your life trying to do good paintings, doing your best to find your unique voice praising the works of Man, Nature and God."

One of a Kind:  What makes you happy?

Steve:  I like to garden.  The work keeps me fit.  Knowing that I am working hard to arrange things so that the plants growing around me will be strong and healthy is a good feeling.  My garden project will not come close to Monet's gardens, but I will be leaving the grounds around my house in better shape than the way I found them.

One of a Kind:  What's your favorite flower?

Steve:  I have not met a flower I did not like.  Each has its own beauty.

One of a Kind:  What's your favorite food?

Steve:  Vodka on the rocks--food for the soul.