Randall Steinke
Randall Steinke is a contemporary figurative painter whose work explores the emotional power of shape, color, and composition. Influenced by the portraiture of Henri Matisse, his bold, expressive paintings emerge from photographed subjects and evolve through intuitive experimentation with form and color. Based in Denver, Randall has exhibited his work across Colorado, California, and the East Coast. After years of painting intermittently, he now embraces art as a full-time practice, continually refining his techniques while exploring the depth and dynamism of the human figure.
​​
​
The Shape of Emotion: The Bold Figuration of Randall Steinke
By Sfumato
For Randall “Randy” Steinke, painting is more than a practice—it’s a return. First discovering his love for painting and art history during college, Randy’s creative spark flickered through various stages of life before reigniting fully into a committed and flourishing artistic pursuit. Now working as a full-time painter, his work reveals a distinct voice shaped by deep introspection, deliberate experimentation, and a passion for figurative expressionism.
At the heart of Randy’s art lies a conversation between shape, form, and emotion. His paintings are defined by bold, vibrant color palettes and striking figurative subjects that pulse with energy and feeling. Drawing inspiration from the portraiture of Henri Matisse—particularly the 1930s works known for their rhythmic composition and decorative complexity—Randy pushes boundaries while staying grounded in painterly tradition. Like Matisse, he embraces the dance between structure and spontaneity, allowing abstract backgrounds and expressive forms to coexist in harmony.
Randy’s creative process begins with photography. Capturing figurative subjects, he uses these images not as strict references but as springboards into visual abstraction. From these origins, he orchestrates dynamic compositions that prioritize the interplay of shape and structure over color. Only once this visual architecture is in place does color enter the dialogue. The first hue sets the stage, inviting others to follow in an intuitive, evolving harmony. In his words, “Each painting is an intentional experiment, a journey that builds the groundwork for future experiments.”
Currently, Randy is focused on refining his depiction of faces, hands, and backgrounds—elements that require both sensitivity and precision. These are not merely anatomical studies but vessels of emotion and atmosphere. His attention to detail is matched by a commitment to discovery; each canvas is an opportunity to explore the potential of expressive form.
Randy has exhibited in Denver, California, and along the East Coast, steadily building a presence in the contemporary art scene. His work speaks to a timeless impulse—the desire to make meaning through color and form—but does so with a distinctly modern edge. As he continues to explore the expressive possibilities of figuration, his art remains grounded in one essential truth: the world is full of hidden shapes, waiting to be revealed through the interplay of shadow, light, and the artist’s hand.
​
With every brushstroke, Randy Steinke invites us to see beyond the surface—to find coherence in chaos, emotion in structure, and beauty in the bold.
