Pay close attention to the man wearing a respirator. Surrounded by strange paraphernalia, he hunches over a sheet of copper, mysteriously coaxing undulating swirls and vibrant hues to the surface. He’s no mad scientist, nor is he a tortured artist. Northern California native Stephen Bruce is not a cliché -- he is a phenomenon.

Though he has only been showing work since June of 2006, his acid paintings on copper have already been seen in TV shows (House, Law & Order LA, Big Bang Theory, Revenge and Californication, to name a few) and movie sets (Horrible Bosses, Social Network,The Avengers & Iron Man 3), selected to decorate the 2008 Sunset Magazine Idea House and garnered art festival accolades.

The man behind the mask is genuinely overjoyed to be making art after decades spent supporting other artists and working in retail management.

“For years I was an artist representative, consulting on presentation and development. Some encouraged me to focus on my own creativity, but I felt that my time to become an artist had past -- that my creative spirit had not been revealed and developed as a child,” says Bruce. In that sense, his problem was the opposite of Picasso’s famous observation, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

“My biggest influence is the greatest artist ever, Mother Earth. Every minute she is producing a new masterpiece. Some are etched into the canvas we call Earth. Most are washed away with time. Their beauty can be so subtle that many don't even take notice, while others are so spectacular, we revisit them again and again. She is prolific, but humble. Her significance is present in every piece I create.”