Though her early work was loosely allied with Conceptual Art and Minimalism, Pat Steir's poured “Waterfall” paintings of the 1980s gained her acclaim. Profoundly influenced by Chinese painting traditions and techniques—especially the marks of the eighth- and ninth-century Yi-pin “ink-splashing” painters—mentorships from John Cage and Agnes Martin, and the harmony between man and nature espoused by Taoist philosophy, Steir considers elemental forces active participants in her work, intentionally removing herself from the action and allowing gravity, time, and the environment to determine the work’s result.