After spending many years teaching herself to paint traditionally, Steppe found herself in the position of not being able to paint at all. Chemotherapy affected her sense of smell so that painting made her ill. She spent many months thinking about working without being able to work.

When I was able to return to my studio, I knew I needed to create work that was personal and cathartic. I decided to turn from painting objects from life to imaginary landscapes that were metaphors for the passage of time. When I began the landscape series, they were simply about the metamorphic effects of time and the elements, but as I healed they became more about emotional healing and spiritual freedom.

The final works in the series are contemplations on the fragility and uncertainty of the physical world and the nature of spirituality.