Born in Safford Arizona, 1958, Steve is a 3rd generation Arizona Native. His family moved first to Phoenix in 1965, then Paradise Valley, Yuma, Ajo and finally to Chandler in 1970. His interest and talent in art manifested itself as early as the 2nd grade when many young classmates asked for copies of a simple picture he had drawn of a lion in a jungle setting. He was regularly involved in projects and opportunities relating to art throughout grammar school.

          In early high school, Steve discovered an interest and talent in pencil portraiture. In addition to producing portraits of family and extended family members, he also worked providing charcoal pencil portraits for schoolmates and acquaintances as a side job throughout his high school years. His only formal art competition was that of the Hallmark Scholastic Art Competition for Arizona High School students in 1976. His charcoal pencil drawing "The Old Woman" received the "Best of Show" Hallmark Award and was used as the promotional poster for the next years event.

          Steve was called to the Kobe, Japan mission where he served form February 1977 to March 1979 under President Robert Stout. As a returned missionary, he briefly studied architecture at Arizona State University but focused later on artwork at ASU and Mesa Community College. After the common floundering for direction, Steve settled into the technical career of traffic accident reconstruction in the early 80s, working as an expert court witness for the legal and insurance industries. As a licensed commercial pilot, he also owns and operates an aerial photography business which keeps four aircraft and pilots flying various contracts around the country.

          In November 1981, he married Liz Schnepf, a 6th generation Arizona Native in the Mesa Arizona Temple. They're oldest son is currently (2003) serving a Mission in Boston, MA, Portuguese speaking while their four younger children, ages 9 to 18, come and go from their hectic home-office residence in Mesa Arizona. Over the past two decades, Steve has produced a number of large paintings and murals for local church related events and activities, often turning his living room, office or back yard into a full scale production studio. He has also continued to produce portraits in his familiar media of charcoal pencil, in addition to showing some interest in sculpture. He hopes to complete more projects soon - geared towards the secular & LDS communities.

          Steve feels that his philosophy towards his artwork is accurately summarized in the words of Aristotle: "The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but the inward significance." In Steve's own words: "My most significant incentive to produce artwork lies in the hope of playing a small part in the Lord's plan: to influence mankind to come unto Jesus Christ, and learn of his ways. Artwork produced in conjunction with the spirit is one of the truly universal languages."