Seahorse Reef

the work and its author

Steven believes that any subject he is asked to illustrate demands the creation of the best images to tell the story in the most interesting way possible. He works in both traditional and digital media. Steven's storied career includes many awards, successful children's books, and work as an illustration teacher.

Your thoughts?

Painting underwater scenes presents the opportunity to use color and texture while remaining true to nature. Every species, rock, shell and plant in my Smithsonian Oceanic illustrations is accurately portrayed. Since a seahorse lives in a small area Seahorse Reef presented the challenge of making each illustration look interesting using the same elements in each painting. All of the illustrations for this series has been curated at sketch stage and finished art by marine biologists at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. (Watercolor on Arches paper)