Remaking Art History with a Hymenoptera, Watercolor and Vector, Shoosty, 2025
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Shoosty®
Stephen Shooster, also known as Shoosty®, is a multi-genre artist, writer and technologist with a lifelong passion for creating. His artistic journey is fueled by a constant thirst for learning and exploring the intersection of art and technology.
Shoosty's work includes a series of illustrations of fanciful insects called "Shoosty Bugs™."
His art is not confined to a single medium, as he works in both digital traditional formats. Nor is he constrained by themes as he works with various subjects.
My Favorite subject to paint is Art itself. If you make Art about Art you can gain the most Freedom of expression. - Shoosty
Shoosty's creative process involves problem-solving, experimentation, and pursuing beauty, whether using a brush or a keyboard.
Shoosty with Penny. 2024
Shoosty as a University of Florida Student. 1981
Personal Background
Shooster was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, 1958. He graduated from The University of Florida, 1976-1982, with a degree in Fine Art and a minor in Architecture. After college he went on to work with his father to build a business for over 40 years as the Chief Technologist and co-CEO of Global Response, earning patent in Computer Telephony while establishing a team of 35 engineers. It was sold in 2019 and Shooster returned to being a full-time artist.
Together, with his entire family, their company served some of the finest brands in the world, including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMa, Chicago Art Institute, Zara, Hermès, Wolford, New York Times, SE Toyota, The Kentucky Derby, Crate and Barrel, and many more.
In 2024, Shoosty and his wife, Diane, moved to North Florida, and he applied for his Master's degree in Art and Technology.
He is the author with several published books ranging from a Holocaust survivors story, to biographies of his parents and many books on art.
He and his wife have four children and a grandchild. All of them are artists.
The Making of Art is
the Exercising of FREEDOM:
Be Free/Act Free/Make Art
- Shoosty 2025
The "Shoosty Bugs" Concept
The Shoosty Bugs™ series began with a simple watercolor sketch of a beetle in 2007 while fecovering from foot surgery. It sparked a creative direction that blends realistic creatures with intricate patterns of world cultures.
Shoosty's bugs™ are more at home in Alice's Wonderland than in Linnaeus's Taxonomy.
Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads. -Marianne Moore
The concept behind the bugs is to encourage the viewer's imagination by presenting familiar yet fantastical creatures.
Artistic Style and Influences
Shoosty coined the term "Chromatic Fusionism" to describe his art style, which blends the science of art with modern technology emphasizing the seamless integration of artistic expression with cutting-edge technology.
He draws his inspiration from the full range of art history. His latest works incorporates traditional textile patterns with the bodies of bugs.
Shoosty call himself a vector painter, which allows his work to be scaled without losing quality.
He uses technology to expand the boundaries of artistic expression and make art more accessible to the public.
He does not use AI to make visual art, however he reports that AI is great for Art Criticism.
He is influenced by the work of Ernst Haeckel, Hayao Miyazaki, and Christopher Dresser, Chagall, Picasso, Mondrian, Van Gogh and many more.
Materials and Techniques
Shoosty primarily uses the iPad Pro, but also enjoys traditional drawing and painting on canvas.
He has shifted his practice towards working with printed silk, which allows for vibrant colors, sharp details, and the creation of large-scale portability.
His hand-rolled silk scarves are printed on both sides with a color shift making them not just a work of art but a work of precision engineering of the highest quality.
Documentation and Catalog
Shoosty documents all of his work, which has become an invaluable resource. In 2024, he published his three volume opus, the full catalog of every piece of art he has ever done. Turning the pages is like walking through a Time Machine.
Concept
Shoosty's latest show is titled, Shoosty Bugs, An Art Infestation, consists of two galleries with 50 pieces of art.
The show runs from April 5th, 2025 to Jan. 4th, 2026 at the Museum of Arts and Sciences (MOAS) in Daytona, Florida.
The exhibition features large prints 4 feet x 12 feet of giant bugs, printed on shimmering silk.
If you draw every day eventually you will find yourself.
- Shoosty 2025
Chromatic Fusionism
Shoosty coined the term Chromatic Fusionism to define a new epoch in the history of art. Claiming that the old terms being created over 100 years ago are outdated, and the new terms like Digital Art are generic. He defines Chromatic Fusionism as the combination of the old and the new with a strong emphasis on how technology can leverage both. He combines elements of art history with familiar objects.
The stating point for an artist today, in 2025, was unthinkable during the previous periods.
Wear the Art / Become the Movement!
My work on silk is meant to be worn. When you wear these pieces while touring the gallery you become a part of the exhibition.