Originally from northern Illinois, Steven Alden Carpenter has lived in Maine for twenty-five years. He became an artist at an early age, but did not discover sculpture until later in life. Before becoming a sculptor he worked as a free-lance illustrator and as a textile designer. Then, combining his artistic sensibilities with his enjoyment of physical activity, he created a stone-scaping and garden design business, which he has pursued for over twenty-five years. During the years of working with stone he learned how to see and to think in three dimensions, observing how light affects textures and how shapes relate to one another. The physical activity involved in doing stone work gave him a sense of anatomy, and of how the body functions and feels while in movement. These are elements that he now applies to his sculpture. His central focus in sculpture has always revolved around the human form, because figurative sculpture provides an endless source of imagery and concepts to express the human condition.
Steven is an elected member of the New England Sculptors Association and the National Sculpture Society. In recent years he has received awards from national and regional shows and exhibitions. His sculpture has been featured in several publications, and on Maine Television's Channel 6 News.