Rockford native Stephen Warde Anderson—a direct descendant of illustrator Warde Blaisdell, an early member of Rockford Sketch Club (later Rockford Art Association, now RAM)—is a self-taught artist whose professional artistic career didn’t begin until his 30s. Cherri Rittenhouse curated his first show, a 1988 exhibit at Kortman Gallery in Rockford. Influential artist Roger Brown purchased several early works by Anderson for his personal collection.
