Steven J. Alles

I pursued education in fine art because of my ability to draw. Lacking confidence in my artistic abilities at the time, I applied my natural curiosity about the world to the biological and physical sciences, ultimately earning a doctor of medicine degree and a masters in epidemiology. Throughout my public health career, I have applied my creativity where possible. As I transition into my retirement in my late fifties, I am committing my full-time energy to return to the fine arts and fulfill a journey I had begun as a child. Medicine and epidemiology have taught me how to think critically and to problem solve: skills I actively apply to my artistic ideas. I understand what inspires me to create and appreciate art and see that this is where our individuality lies. As I honor my parents by my actions, I am creating works related to my childhood and drawing from my own experiences allowing new ideas to form as I travel and consider masterpieces, architecture, nature and the state of our world.

Color, texture, tone, patterns, images and impact are the elements of art that stimulate my senses the most. I have reconnected with the Houghton Mifflin Reader series – a set of English curriculum textbooks used in the 1970s to educate elementary school children. Core concepts from these texts, titles and imagery inspired me as a boy to draw and paint and wonder about the world. Themes like Panorama, Kaleidoscope, Images and Galaxies have mapped out my current creative direction as I draw and paint complex landscapes, spirally-designed still lifes, human relationships and the universe. I plan on designing collages from a cache of intaglio prints I made in the 1990s that describe many of these educational concepts to further express my experiences as I interpret the world through my individual lens.

I am expanding my creative thinking and building technical abilities as I develop relationships in the Northeast United States and in the United Kingdom. As I return to the United States I am empowered to challenge the current Federal administration’s foolish and cruel policies. I am developing a set of images under the theme of “Not Going Anywhere”, a statement about queer lives and the reality of people living in this century. I am integrating galactic themes and global challenges as I design paintings that reflect the human condition and the subatomic nature of the universe. My fine arts masters thesis was titled “Organic Psychology and the Universe” – an exploration of structure and relationships that describe levels of the visual spectrum. I intend to continue making art with this underlying scientific curiosity at the forefront.

United States