Encore “Back in the Spotlight”
by Celeste Sunderland
Artist/flutist Jeremy Steig colored some drawings in a cozy corner of his apartment one night last month, when he spilled a jar of ink. Not a pleasant mess, especially with Frac, Steig’s gigantic cat pawing around. So the artist “banished” himself back to his drawing table covered with bamboo pens and Steig Ink (Uncle Arthur invented it).
This past February, an armful of Steig’s profusely colorful illustrations livened up the Cornelia Street Cafe’s stark white walls. One seemed to hum with the vibrant frenzy of a bustling jazz club right after the end of a set. Another relayed a peaceful moment between a bulbous woman and a strangely proportioned man. Back at his apartment, Steig points to some drawings on the wall. “That’s the stuff I couldn’t have at Cornelia Street,” he says. “I like to do nudes.” He sifts through a manila folder bursting with works in progress, and loosely throws out titles, “The King Has No Clothes”, “A Lap Dance”, “The Flute Genie”…
..