Steven Chorney was born in 1951 in Washington, DC. Raised in Buffalo, NY, and having no formal art education, Chorney moved to Southern California in 1971 to pursue his dream of becoming a visual artist. "My father was trained as a commercial artist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It may be said that he made the largest impact on my decision to follow this chosen field." Chorney landed a position with a small independent agency on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, animating and designing television commercials. In 1976, his entry to the Chicago International Film Festival garnered the First Place Award for Animated Television Commercials. Later, while creating numerous freelance assignments for the recording industry the marketing departments of some of the major Hollywood studios began to take note. "A turning point came" relates the artist, "with the creation of a movie poster design for the film Lassiter starring Tom Selleck and Jane Seymour." The bold approach was a departure from the standard montage often seen. Others took note as well, and the assignments began to come in. "I like to think it was something I did...but more truthfully, I was in the right place at the right time."
Later career
Over the 1983-86 period, Chorney created dramatic illustrations for over 50 TV Guide advertisements for CBS and NBC television programs, including, Dynasty, Miami Vice, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, Private Eye, T.J. Hooker, and Cagney and Lacey. In 1987 his work on the popular television series Designing Women won First Place in The Hollywood ReporterKey Art Awards for Television. The artist's drawing skills and dramatic technique have been applied to over 120 motion picture campaigns for many of the major studios including Disney, MGM, Universal and Warner Bros.. As an example, the artwork for the poster Stakeout highlights Steven's skills as a motion picture industry illustrator working under pressure with tight deadlines in a production environment. Recognized for his design and conceptual abilities, Chorney was frequently enlisted to develop the preliminary designs for the final movie posters on films as diverse as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the James Bond filmLicence to Kill, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and many more.
Present
Still working, the artist’s paintings may be seen illustrating magazine covers and books such as the popular Star Wars young reader series and others. In addition, Steve Chorney has been creating works for Universal Parks & Resorts, Paramount Parks, Disney Parks, numerous State Tourist attractions, as well as private commissions and Gallery works. He currently lives in Hollywood, California.
