Steve Portrait
Stephen Ortland was born and raised in Pleasant Hill, California, a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area. His first major artwork was an unauthorized mural in his closet at age 4. Perhaps because the lack of severe punishment was interpreted as encouragement, Steve continued his art career.
He majored in art at U.C. Berkeley where he also recieved a California teaching credential.Steve worked for several years in the Bay Area as a freelance photographer and graphic artist in his Emeryville studio. Eventually Steve came to Alaska and worked summers as a fishing guide in the Katmai Park area.There he met his wife Romney, who was working at Brooks Lodge. They now live in Anchorage with their 3 boys and 2 dogs.

Steve is a very versatile artist. He has enjoyed so many different art mediums, he has never settled on only one. The areas he has concentrated on in the last 10 years are ceramics, watercolor,oil painting, illustration and graphic arts, and larger public art projects. But over the years,he has also worked in photography, sculpture, woodworking, blown glass and flat glass, to name a few.

Detail of Dolly Varden fish lamp. Steve started doing ceramics with Romney in 1994. Generally Romney does floral and Steve does fish. Ocassionally they combine their styles on individual pieces.
" Winter Trees - Costal Trail "
Watercolor 10" X 13"
Steve has been teaching Beginning through Advanced Watercolor at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art for over 8 years
Steve has been doing the Annual Alaska Symphony of Seafood designs since 1997
In the early 1980s, while working for Katmailand, Steve designed their first Brooks Lodge logo and their Angler's Paradise logo. Both designs were used for over 20 years on hats, shirts, brochures and many other things. In October of 2004, Steve did a new and updated central illustration for his original Brooks logo. Hopefully it will be in use for at least another 20 years!
This was Steve's first large public art project. It is an 18' X 3' tile mural titled " Lifecycle of Salmon" and it is installed on the Alaskan ferry MV Kennicot.
Steve's Museum Watercolor Class :
Go to the bottom of Steve's Watercolor Page