Steve Mayse is a professor and alumnus of Central Missouri State University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in art education (functional with commercial art) and the University of Kansas, where he earned a master's of fine arts degree in design, Steve brings 30 years of practical experience as the owner of his own business and as a free-lance illustrator and designer.

His client list included Sports Illustrated, Arthur Anderson, Chevron, McDonald's, Boys' Town, Employers Reinsurance Corp., American Airlines, Cessna Corp., Sprint Corp., The Los Angeles Times, Cerner Corp., Cable in the Classroom, Physician, Ingram's, Vision, Emerge and many others. His work has received awards for excellence three dozen times from the three-dimensional Art Directors and Illustration Awards show in New York, the Society of Illustrators in New York, the Society of Illustrators in Los Angeles, the Kansas City Art Directors' Award Show and the Addy Awards. In addition, Central Missouri State University awarded Steve the Distinguished Alumni Award for his work as a practicing visual artist and as an educator.

He has served as a visiting artist/guest lecturer at the State University of New York, the University of Kansas, Central Missouri State University, William Jewell College, Graceland College, Northwest Missouri State University, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and at the International School in Prague, the Czech Republic. His work has been included many times in juried fine art exhibitions, nationally as a contributing artist and regionally as a solo artist.