Atlanta artist Steven L. Anderson draws metaphors from nature and plant systems

On the “City Lights” series “Speaking of Art,” local artists share insights into their influences, processes and experiences in town. This edition focuses on Steven L. Anderson, an Atlanta-based visual artist, graphic designer and gallery co-director. 

Anderson’s visual art is about nature, systems, and how nature works. “I do images, drawings, paintings, sometimes videos, of tree rings, the cross-section of a tree when it’s cut,” Anderson says. I also do drawings and paintings of roots, leaves, ferns…”

In his artistic journey, Anderson studied succulents and viewed their systems as metaphors for how artists and activists can survive.