Gordon Appelby Smith (Canadian artist associated with the Group of Seven) has said… “Steve Mills, painter, graphic artist, sculptor, photographer…I have known and worked with Steve as a special friend, artist, teacher for over thirty years. His whole life has been spent making art, with love and passion for the wilderness areas of northern BC. His art parallels the lifestyle of Tom Thomson…”
Paul Santos ( Director, Government of Alberta)… “Steve Mills is the pedagogical grandson of the Group of Seven”
“I have created original art work in the artistic vacuum of the North for many years unaffected by the fluctuating trendiness of the urban art scene. As a contemporary artist I do serialized work, sometimes combining, sometimes switching mediums to see how the medium effects the message. Some work is straight forward but most have layers of possible or planned interpretation. Teaching high school, post-secondary, professional art courses and now tattooing I was always able to support myself. This gave me the freedom to explore and evolve my art work without having to cater to the whims of commerce to survive. My work sometimes created controversy and discussion as true art should. My goal is, that above all, it is unique, and captures my ties to the land, as an integral part of the circle of nature, not as an observer. I have worked, shown, and sold in many mediums but most prevalent are etching and block prints, oils, acrylics, installations, tattoo, photography, and watercolor. ”