The Festival – as Artist Roy Steiner Sees It

Editor’s note: Roy Steiner is a parishioner at Christ Church Cathedral and a Boar’s Head cast member. Some of his favorite festival sketches – enlarged as giclee prints – is part of the  Boar’s Head Art Exhibit .


November 6, 2014

A pair of Beefeaters

©2007 Roy Steiner

Finale
©2007 Roy Steiner

My artistic inclination is sketching. I like the immediacy -- the urgency and simplicity of a quick rendering. Sketches somehow always leave the viewer wanting a little more – a little mystery.

I have made some 70 sketches over the 10 years that I’ve been in the Boar’s Head Festival. The vast majority of my sketches capture people unaware, in typical moments before, during and after the show. This has been intentional on my part. Such moments have always struck me as the most natural -- and more interesting than a pose.

I work with dry pastel. Early on, I mixed fine markers with pastel accents before going strictly to pastel. Everything always starts with a simple pencil rendering -- which I like the most.

Orphan
©2012 Roy Steiner

A sketch titled “Orphan” might be my personal favorite. It’s nothing more than pencil with a bit of white pastel for accent. Sometimes less is more.

I've enjoyed every moment of this festival and have tried to document it in the way that I've seen and experienced it. It’s quite gratifying that others have enjoyed the sketches as well.

It has been my great pleasure to leave this visual diary for all to enjoy.

Roy Steiner
Plum Pudding Company