Keystone Species Print

Originally from New York, Steve Montiglio has been creating art his entire life. From his earliest awards in childhood art competitions to commissioned works for films like Titanic, he has always forged his own artistic path. After his first year studying design and psychoacoustics at SUNY Purchase he relocated to Los Angeles, where he was forced to live much of his 20’s “underground” to avoid a widening conflict of outside interests. During this period, the struggle between anonymity and individualism became a driving force of his aesthetic. As art schools at the time were focused mainly on self-expression, he began his own research in to painting materials and technique, composition and symbolism, the depth of which caught the eye of famed art educator Saul Bernstein. Under his mentorship, Montiglio pursued a course of independent study which included trips to London and Rome to analyze composition and allegory in painting. In Los Angeles, his technical skills and understanding of style began to result in painting commissions for film projects. Seeking to utilize commercial art to fund his personal artistic endeavors, he expanded into illustration, graphics, animation and set design. His work has now appeared in numerous films, on television shows including The Mindy Project and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in Super Bowl ads and music videos for Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry and Jennifer Lopez. He has designed sets, graphics, backdrops and props for photographer David Lachapelle, Absolute Vodka, Christina Aguilera, Mac Cosmetics and many more. Working with academy award winning producer Michael Phillips he also developed and animated Loverboy - a humorous series of streaming shorts. His images have appeared on the covers of books by Ian Watson, Charles Stross and Greg Egan and on the pages of In-Style, Cyberzone, Venice and Hustler magazines. Shemachine, Montiglio’s first experimental video, is in the permanent collection of Projections on Lake. Juliette Lewis, Clive Barker, Sylvester Stallone and heavy metal goddess Julie Strain all own Montiglio originals. Steve Montiglio lives and works in Hollywood, CA.