Jay Steensma
1941–1994
Nationality: American
Affiliation: Northwest Artist
Jay Steensma was born in 1941 in Moscow, Idaho and died in Seattle in 1994. He received his B.F.A. from the University for Washington in 1962 and painted steadily for the rest of his life.
Though primarily a painter, he also made sculptures, prints, and photo-collages. Chalices, snakes, houses, clouds, and fish were some of his predominating subject matter. He usually painted in shades of gray and added small bits of primary colors for shock value. He was well known for using the motifs of his mentor Morris Graves. According to friend and colleague Charles Krafft, Steensma loved the idea of whipping out drawings and paintings in a frenzy of creative energy. He was also a master of scale. His work ranged from wall-filling oils to postage stamp size drawings.
The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture owns sixteen drawings and etchings by Steensma, a collection largely created from donations from Wesley Wehr and Dale Stenning.
Sources: Collection records, Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Spokane.
1st Week
Date: 1981
Image Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches (image)
Medium: paper, graphite
Inscription: “Steensma 81,” lower right; “No this is not St. Marks,” verso
Subjects: altar and figurative
Provenance: Gift of Wesley Wehr, 1990
Collection Number: 3495.7
Broadmoor
Date: 1980
Image Dimensions: 8 5/8 x 11 3/4 inches (image)
Medium: lithographic pencil, paper
Inscription: “Steensma 80,” lower right; “1980,” lower left
Subjects: figurative and car
Provenance: Gift of Wesley Wehr, 1990
Collection Number: 3495.1
Earliest Settlers in Salt Lake
Date: 1970s
Image Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches (image)
Medium: ink, graphite, paper
Inscription: “J. Steensma,” lower right quadrant
Subject: figurative
Provenance: Gift of Wesley Wehr, 1990
Collection Number: 3578.2
Eco
Date: 1990
Image Dimensions: 6 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (image)
Medium: graphite, paper, eraser
Inscription: “Eco,” lower left margin; “J. Steensma,” “1990,” lower right margin
Subjects: artist, model, and figurative
Provenance: Gift of Wesley Wehr, 1990
Collection Number: 3578.3
Oakesdale Grain Elevators in Harvest Season
Date: 1978
Image Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches (support)
Medium: ink, Watercolor, paper
Inscription: “Steensma 1978,” lower right
Subjects: grain elevator, Oakesdale, and WA
Provenance: Gift of Wesley Wehr, 1990
Collection Number: 3495.6
Untitled
Date: 1966
Image Dimensions: 9 3/4 x 12 3/8 inches (image)
Medium: ink, paper
Inscription: “Steensma 1966,” lower right
Subjects: god and figurative
Provenance: Gift of Wesley Wehr, 1990
Collection Number: 3495.9
Untitled
Image Dimensions: 9 x 6 inches (image)
Medium: gouache
Inscription: “Steensma,” lower right
Subject: figurative
Provenance: Gift of Wesley Wehr, 1990
Collection Number: 3495.2
Untitled
Date: 1990
Image Dimensions: 5 7/8 x 9 inches (image)
Medium: Etching
Inscription: “J. Steensma/1990,” lower right
Subjects: house and figurative
Provenance: Gift of Wesley Wehr, 1990
Collection Number: 3495.3
Untitled
Date: Unknown
Image Dimensions: 7 x 7 1/4 inches (image)
Medium: gouache
Inscription: “J. Steensma,” lower right
Subjects: abstract and building
Provenance: Gift of Wesley Wehr, 1990
Collection Number: 3495.4