There has been a lot of talk over the past year about Steven Soderbergh’s intention to retire from filmmaking. Aside from his upcoming films Contagion and Haywire, he has only three other movies that he intends to shoot before calling it quits: an adaptation of the ’60s spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a Liberace biopic starring Michael Douglas, and Magic Mike, a movie about the world of male strippers based on Channing Tatum’s own experiences. Although he seems pretty focused on sticking to that schedule, it’s never been very clear what he might do after retirement. With the recent news that he is working as second unit director on The Hunger Games, some thought that he might continue to work in the industry, just not directing his own films. Now, however, he has revealed that he will leave it all behind in order to embrace a brand new career. Apparently Steven Soderbergh has plans to work with a different kind of canvas… that’s right, he’s taking up painting.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Soderbergh confirmed that he wants to become a painter. He actually conducted the interview from his office space in Manhattan, which is already being turned into a painting studio. A number of pieces were spotted around the premises including “a pair of striped canvases in red and gray hues and a portrait of the abstract painter Agnes Martin.” Soderbergh, however, didn’t completely rule out the possibility of returning to movies at some point:

“I’m interested in exploring another art form while I have the time and ability to do so… I’ll be the first person to say if I can’t be any good at it and run out of money I’ll be back making another Ocean’s movie.”

While there may be a little bit of self-deprecating humour in that statement, I am also detecting a grain of truth to it. What are the odds that he will also be able to make a comfortable living as a painter? Even if he is really talented, it’s a difficult profession to break into (granted, he has the advantage of already being famous). I just don’t understand why he can’t simply take time off to do some painting on the side. Why does he have to formally retire from Hollywood? It seems like a bit of a front to me, but I guess we’ll find out how serious he is about it. What do you think, do you respect Soderbergh’s new career path and do you think we’ll see him directing any other films after the next three?