We had the good fortune of connecting with Steven Gary Ames and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steven Gary Ames, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Before I got anywhere close to the entertainment industry, I learned early on to set necessary boundaries between work and my personal life. For instance, in my first job, I made it clear that I was unavailable on weekends, ensuring I had the time I needed to spend with family when I was younger.

After moving to LA, knowing what made me happy and how to set healthy boundaries between work and home life allowed me to focus on my passions. I spent my free time painting, doing photoshoots, creating video art, and tackling DIY projects—working on those random problems that arise in life. It’s not always easy to carve out the space and time for what you love and what you need to do to succeed.

I didn’t sacrifice my free time for someone else’s dream. To grow and do what made me happy, I gave myself every opportunity to work on my dreams and didn’t let work follow me home. Personally, I love being there for friends and family, creating the best atmosphere to be myself and succeed in my personal goals and dreams. This led to the creation of some unique, functional art pieces that brought me joy and that I was able to share with family and friends. From custom standing desks, nightstands, painted glass tables, wine glasses, to chess sets, I love to customize and create art that people not only enjoy looking at but that also serve a functional purpose in their lives.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I truly love making and sharing my art with others. I create the world around me, and you can trust that the art I make will not only work and function but also be of high quality.

Some of my favorite pieces to create are glass table paintings. They are fun to make, fully functional, and essentially two paintings in one. If you want to change the look of a room and have one of my tables, you can simply flip the table over to reveal the second side.

To further experiment and grow in painting on glass, I’ve also created painted glass coasters. The process is the same, just on a much smaller scale. They are fully functional, numbered, footed, and washable. Expanding on this technique, I’ve also made one of my favorite pieces of all—a glass chessboard with customized pieces that glow in the dark.

If you’re looking for some really interesting, functional art pieces, check out my work!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If a friend were visiting, I would take them to a few of my favorite places.

When I studied here for a semester in college, I got lost trying to find a film location for a music video project. I drove up the Angeles Crest Highway (The 2) into the mountains, lost cell phone connection, and missed my stop. I ended up at the top of the mountain at Mt. Wilson Observatory and felt like I was on top of the world. Since then, I’ve brought many friends up the mountain to share my favorite place and view of the city. On a clear day, you can see from Pasadena to Palos Verdes, and on a cloudy day, the clouds rest below your feet as if they were waves in the ocean.

After taking in the best view in LA, I’d bring my friend to the San Pedro Art Walk, then from Hermosa to Manhattan Beach, play a round of golf at Roosevelt Golf Course, and stop by The Petersen Automotive Museum. For food, we’d grab tacos at Cactus Taqueria, pizza at Delicious Pizza, and some Italian cuisine at Casa 12 in Venice.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my parents—they are amazing people who created an incredible atmosphere for me to grow up in and succeed at anything I set my mind to. My father, a technical mastermind and world-class DIYer, helped me understand how the world around me is put together, how it functions, how to fix it, and how it works. My mother, who is supportive, caring, cultured, and creatively inspiring, taught me to question opinions, see hidden meanings, and understand others. My art would not be what it is today without the functional and creative knowledge I gained from them.

With this foundation, all it took was a few artists to inspire me to experiment and take chances with my paintings. I was able to transform a hobby into something new and next-level. One of the most inspiring and life-changing films I’ve ever watched was Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010, Banksy). It gave me a newfound energy to paint in bigger and better ways, taking chances while also questioning the theory and value of art.

An inspiration for my style of painting is Gerhard Richter, a German visual artist and master painter. I remember watching an interview where he demonstrated how he created his large abstract oil paintings. Seeing him manipulate the paint and the results he achieved inspired me to try new methods with my medium at the time, spray paint. I pushed the paint to its limits, exploring texture, layers, and color combinations I never thought were possible.

With all of this combined, I am now able to create amazing, completely functional, and fun art pieces and paintings for everyone to enjoy.

Website: https://ames.art/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevengaryames

Other: If you’re interested in seeing some of my latest work, come check it out at The Coffee Bar, 520 Center St, El Segundo, during the El Segundo Art Walk on Saturday, August 24th. I’d love to see you there!

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