Steele Alden 2024

Abstract

Ecstatic Utterances is a series of paintings exploring altered states of being through depictions of queer intimacy, religious folklore, and dreams. Vivid, large-scale paintings act as portals transporting the viewer to transcendent worlds where anything is possible and everything is beautiful. Populated with birds, horses, queer bodies, and saintly impressions— these works begin to create their own theology. This series of paintings includes four, large-scale pieces depicting intimate, queer happenings and dreamy landscapes through a mix of graphic shapes and loose, gestural mark-making. The work utilizes complex color pallets, figure interaction, and thoughtfully activated compositions to create an engaging and dynamic body of work.