ELVIC STEELE (1920-1997)

Elvic Steele creates a magic garden viewed from all the wonder and innocence of childhood. Enormous and towering plants dominate. Flora dwarfs fauna. The observer, entranced, becomes an integral aspect of her magic world.

Elvic Steel was born in 1920. She spent a great deal of her childhood in the countryside. This exposure to nature developed into a passion which lasted all her life. She was an experienced biologist and botanist as well as a keen gardener. Her attention to detail is reflected in her interpretation of flowers and insects, revealing the depth of knowledge and empathy to nature that she possessed.

Elvic spent all of her adult life teaching in various schools near her home in Essex. In 1946 she was awarded a sabbatical to attend the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing at Benton End in Suffolk, run by Sir Cedric Morris. It was in Morris' delightful garden at Benton End that she found a great deal of her inspiration and continued studying and painting there until the 1970's. Of her work, Cedric Morris said: She is an excellent draughtswoman and colourist, both in her portraiture and still life painting ...

Of course, during the late 1960's, Elvic Steele was living through the harmonious revolutions of "Flower Power" and "Psychedelia". The atmosphere of the times combined with her deep love of nature, a philosophical bent and the remarkable ability to retain the innocent eye of childhood, manifest themselves in these quietly beautiful naturescapes; worlds away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Elvic's work was regularly shown at the Colchester Art Society Exhibitions and she also had a solo exhibition in 1960, when she was in the Scilly Isles. On returning to Dunmow in Essex in 1963, she took Evening Classes at the Dunmow Art Group Meetings. There she exhibited in the Art Group's Exhibitions and in villages in the district. Whilst living in Leamington (1984-88) she had two 'one man' exhibitions at the Royal Spa Centre and also showed at the Leamington Museum. At this time she also sent a number of paintings to the Benton End Group Exhibition in Essex.