While growing up on his parents dairy farm in rural Hamilton, young Stephen Altena dreamed of pretty things. The Victorian farmhouse of his childhood with its pressed tin ceilings, patterned wallpapers and china cabinet brimming with ornamental ‘fancies’ informed his aesthetic.

Stephen Altena is co-founder of Hundred Dollar Gallery/The Hamilton Art Gallery with Andrew McPhail, and is a founding member of the Hamilton artist run collective, The Assembly Gallery. He is a graduate of the Independent Study Program at Dundas Valley School Of Art. He lives and works in downtown Hamilton.