by Cody Drabble

Stephen Offerman sets up his display at Second Saturday, July 13, 2013. (Photo by Cody Drabble)

Stephen Offerman – Painter

Stephen’s Website: http://flavorpacket.deviantart.com

Stephen’s Email: SteveOfferman@gmail.com

Page Burner bumped into Stephen Offerman selling a few canvases, greeting cards, and prints at a Second Saturday vendor station on L Street between 18th and 19th.  By day, Offerman works at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, which inspires the produce motifs that appear throughout his work.

GMO: Onion, Red by Stephen Offerman (Photo by Cody Drabble)

The 35-year-old painter cites influences varying from pop culture icons like comic book artist Moebius (a.k.a. Jean Henri Gaston Giraud) to Salvador Dalí. “I grew up on comic books and science fiction, that’s where it comes from ultimately,” Offerman said.  

Monkey Arcade by Stephen Offerman (Photo by Cody Drabble)

Some of Offerman’s surreal paintings include a recurring character he calls the Audiovisionary, which he has been painting and drawing since 2004. “I just found the first sketch I ever did of him,” Offerman said. “I think he was inspired by going to a Kidrobot store for the first time when I went to New York. I saw all the little vinyl art toys.”

The Audiovisionary by Stephen Offerman (Photo by Cody Drabble)

Stephen Offerman commented on his work A Place to Rest (also known as Someplace): “It’s had like three titles, I forget what it’s called now,” Offerman said. “I believe I settled on A Place to Rest. The light source is just kind of hanging there from that tree. It makes me think of The Neverending Story a little.”

A Place to Rest by Stephen Offerman (Photo by Cody Drabble)