Cydney Steeb
Guild Member Salon Show
Cydney Steeb ABOUT: I’ve loved drawing and photography since I was a child. The only thing I loved more was exploring the ‘wonders’ of nature. Once I started painting, my view of nature changed. I see potential paintings, which will capture memories of hikes with friends, vacations, naturalist classes, or quiet times close to home on a beach. The sky isn’t just blue, it ’s cerulean, cobalt, stormy Payne’s grey, or a transparent orange sunset. I love watching pigments interact with each other and water. They seem to dance, sometimes doing something totally unexpected and wonderful. Cydney grew up in Wyandotte, MI, and attended Michigan State University, earning a BS degree in Education. Deciding that structured teaching was not for her, she left Michigan and moved to Cody, Wyoming, and found employment working on a dude ranch. She refers to it as her two-year paid vacation since she was able to explore all the beautiful mountains, rivers, and valleys of the ranch property and Yellowstone Park on horseback. She moved to California to find a career and to reconnect with her sister. She worked as an Administrative Analyst at the UCI Medical Center for 10 ½ years before transferring to a UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine laboratory, where she worked for 10 ½ before retiring. While working at the lab, she suffered the loss of her father and the sudden death of her fiancé. This left a big hole in her life that she filled by weekly exploring nearby Sequoia National Park with friends and taking up oil painting. She studied with a local artist and also took workshops with artists Donna Willems, Sally Seago, Libby Tolly, and Paul Buxman and attended a week-long workshop at the Beartooth School of Art in Montana, with John Seery-Lester and Paco Young, professional wildlife artists. After returning to Michigan, Cydney decided to explore watercolor painting and began taking classes with local Northern Michigan artist June Storm, and attended workshops with local artists Catherine Carey, Trish Morgan, and Sandra Strohschein. She also attended a four-day workshop with Sterling Edwards and is currently studying with artists Steve Griggs and Andy Evansen who both teach internationally. THIS YEAR: Covid-19 made us think outside the box when it came to painting classes. Clever professional artists and organizations such as CTAC have provided virtual classes with much success. I had doubted that I would enjoy taking classes this way and that the money wouldn’t be worth it. Boy, was I mistaken. I have completed two classes, signed up for two more, and I’m enrolled in a year-long mentorship with a professional artist. CONTACT: Website.
“Stroll on Sturgeon Bay,” Watercolor, 11 x 15 in, $750. As I look back on 2020, it has become evident that one positive of living under a “stay at home order” was having time to bring to life in watercolor photos I had taken while chasing the wonders of the natural beauty in Northern Michigan.
“Solitude in a Storm,” Watercolor, 10.5 x 13.5 in, $750
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