ABOUT THE ARTIST

Nolan Steil is a painter whose work explores color, light, memory, and the fleeting nature of everyday experiences. Working primarily with water, cars, and flowers, Steil transforms familiar subjects into vibrant paintings that balance observation with abstraction.

Steil has always been drawn to bright color and strong composition. She instinctively sees the world in terms of light and shadow, often breaking down everything she encounters into shapes, values, and color relationships (whether she intends to paint it or not). This way of seeing has become central to her practice, allowing ordinary moments to become opportunities for close observation and visual exploration.

Memory is an underlying thread throughout Steil's work. Her paintings of water are rooted in the fleeting experience of watching light move across a surface, capturing a moment that can never exist in exactly the same way twice. Flowers similarly explore delicacy, impermanence, and the desire to preserve something beautiful before it changes.

Her interest in cars comes from a more personal history. Steil grew up attending hot rod and car shows with her grandfather, surrounded by his friends and their carefully built cars. She was fascinated by their vivid colors, polished engines, intricate details, and hand-crafted artwork. That early fascination eventually became part of her artistic practice. While studying art, she interned at a custom auto body shop, where she learned the art of pinstriping and developed a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship, decoration, and precision found within car culture.

Across these subjects, Steil is interested in more than simply depicting what she sees. She uses painting as a way to slow down and preserve moments of color, light, beauty, and personal connection, turning fleeting experiences into something tangible.

Steil received her B.F.A. in 2D Studio Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2025. She currently works in Northern California, soon relocating to Boise, Idaho.