Steve Yates, a native from Tennessee, painted his first painting in the 5th grade but instead of following his desire to work in art he did what was expected of a young man at that time - football, baseball, boxing and cars. Steve always admired and appreciated art as he was growing up and never gave up his dream. The responsibilities of earning a living first led him into the oil and gas industry. The early dawns, long days and late evenings spent in the oil field through all seasons of the year, through all parts of the country have honed his perception of nature and inspired him to use his natural talent and imagination to record its beauty for others through his paintings. His experiences there helped develop and nurture an intimacy with the countryside that he has revered since childhood. It was not until the mid 80's that he started working in pastel, water color and finally settled in oil painting. Steve has his own style and has been recognized for the quality of his colors, the moods, and variety of his skies and the grace and solitude of his night scenes. The unique colors of his paintings seem to shift with changing light, leaving the viewer the feeling of having witnessed the passage of time. Steve utilizes a blackoil medium, which is specially formulated to add the brilliance to his paintings. The materials he uses are of the highest quality, painting on linen and synthetic canvas and specially prepared panels. The painting surface preparation alone takes hours of work. Being a self taught artist for the most part, Steve has had the pleasure of receiving guidance from master artists through the years. His sales have increased steadily through time to the point where he needed more time to keep up with the demand. After a lifetime of working in the oil industry and the encouragement from the public and friends, he decided to paint full time in 1996. He has sold paintings all over the U.S. and as far as Canada, China and Great Britain. His entire inventory of work has been bought out on two occasions by collectors/investors. From his roots in the verdant hills of Tennessee through the wetlands and waters of the Gulf Coast, and across the desert mountains of West Texas, Steve paints landscapes of magnificent daytime and nighttime skies which will thrill, enrich and soothe the viewer.