Business Description
Istvan (Steve) Diossy (born 1975 Chicago, IL) is a self-taught artist, based in Vero Beach, Florida who at the age of 16 won first place and presidential recognition for a sculpture depicting Michelangelo’s The Florentine Pietà. Throughout the years, Steve continued to progress as an artist, developing a unique style enhanced by his fine art background and an extensive knowledge of caricature and graphic design. With assignments ranging from animations to high performance automotive art, Steve has become a successful and highly sought-after commercial artist.Steve’s piece Raw Bar, depicting a marlin, a mahi-mahi, a grouper and a blue crab enjoying drinks on the dock, was a launching pad that led Steve to start his own brand. The inspiration for Raw Bar was a weekend with three friends in the Florida Keys which was spent “in the water and at the bar”. Steve built on this, creating more art full of detail, recurring characters and plenty of humor. Another fan favorite, Tito’s Cheers was created in collaboration with Tito’s Vodka and features some fun marine characters enjoying vodka-based drinks.
Of his art, Steve says: “It’s always more about us than the fish. I feel we are all fish out of water. As anyone who grew up in Florida knows, we all love being in and around the water. That’s definitely where I’m happiest!”
Steve has helped to design a number of license plates for the state of Florida. Proceeds from his most recent design Protect Marine Wildlife go directly to the Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance - a charity that works on conservation, research and educational programs that focus on preserving Florida's threatened and protected wildlife species. Steve is also a board member of the PWDA.
Through his artwork, Steve reflects a great love of his community and natural surroundings. By frequently escaping to the beaches, he fuels his inspiration and endless desire to create vividly humorous and color-driven works of art.
Steve’s art, as well as apparel and other fun products, can be found at his official gallery in Vero Beach, and other authorized retailers in South Florida, as well as at www.SteveDiossy.com.