Elvic Steele

1960's British Surrealist Oil Painting - "Radiance + Gloom"

circa 1960's

Elvic Steele was British female artist who grew up in the countryside and developed a lifelong passion for nature. She became an experienced biologist and botanist as well as a keen gardener. Her interpretation of plants in her art, the attention to detail reveals the depth of her knowledge of nature. Steele 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' garden at Benton End that she found a great deal of her inspiration and continued studying and painting there until the 1970s. Steele's work was regularly shown at the Colchester Art Society Exhibition and she also had a solo exhibition in 1960 when she was in the Isles of Scilly. On returning to Great Dunmow in Essex in 1963, she took evening classes at the Dunmow Art Group meetings. There, she exhibited in the Art Group's Exhibition and in villages in the district. Whilst living in Royal Leamington Spa (1984-88) she had two solo exhibitions at the Royal Spa Centre and also showed at the Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum. At this time, she also sent a number of paintings to the Benton End Group Exhibition in Essex.