Jay Steensma

[1] He was known for his extremely prolific output, and, at times, unusual media (such as latex house paint on brown paper shopping bags).

He moved to Seattle in 1959 to attend the University of Washington School of Art, where influential teachers included Walter F. Isaacs, Spencer Moseley, Bob Jones, and Wendell Brazeau.

[4] [5] After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1962[5] he studied with Morris Graves, and befriended Mark Tobey, Guy Anderson, and other artists of the original Northwest School.

[4] From the early 1960s Steensma's work was shown in Seattle galleries such as the Kinorn and Francine Seders, and in 1965 he won First Prize in painting at the Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair in Bellevue, Washington;[5] however, he suffered from manic-depressive illness, and by the mid-70s his erratic behavior had largely alienated him from the arts community.

[6] Since the 1970s Steensma lived in Seattle's Greenlake neighborhood with close friend and fellow artist Ree Brown.