November Featured Artist: Steven Powell Smith, Squirts & Squiggles
- Ivy Dionne
- Oct 25
- 2 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Collective Visions Gallery is pleased to present Steven Powell Smith as our featured artist for November. His latest exhibition, Squirts & Squiggles, invites viewers into a vibrant world of color, movement, and inner exploration, where spontaneous marks and playful forms become a visual language of emotion and intuition.
Born in 1953 in Magna, Utah, Steven’s fascination with art began early, inspired by framed prints of Picasso and Van Gogh in his grandmother’s home. He studied scenic design at the University of Utah and began experimenting with gouache while decorating his first apartment with paintings of his own. That creative spark would evolve into a lifelong journey across the U.S. and abroad, as he worked as a lighting designer and stage manager for dance companies before transitioning to arts education. Now retired and living in the Pacific Northwest, Steven devotes himself fully to painting.
His abstract oil works are filled with personality and presence. Squiggly lines dance across his canvases like wandering thoughts brought to life, while bold, purposeful lines cut through the work with force and clarity, symbols of the mysterious and unknowable. Steven often begins with a sketch or an idea, but the final composition is shaped by intuition and improvisation. The result is art that feels alive, deeply personal, and yet open to interpretation.
Steven’s work reminds us that imagination and spontaneity can lead us to unexpected places. Each painting offers a moment of curiosity, a reflection of what it means to be human, and a celebration of the unseen forces that shape our experience.
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