My background
Born and raised in Southern California in the 50’s, I had the benefit of all the sensory experiences; the ocean, the mountains, the desert, an assortment of amazing restaurants with all types of cultural foods and hanging out with interesting people at all the beautiful places! I didn’t appreciate this until much later in life when I realized how lucky I was to grow up where, when, and
how I did.
I witnessed the civil rights protests and saw and took part in several women’s movements for equality. I lost a lot of friends in the Viet Nam war and watched how that war divided our country, broke up and damaged families and put our veterans in the position of not being appreciated or treated well. I lived through and “loved” the hippy movement with all the freedoms and
radical thoughts and realized how important peace really was.
I raised two sons and worked most of my adult life with careers in banking, finance, insurance, sales, security, and real estate.
My art tells these stories.
I love painting. I’m also a writer and an active dreamer.
I believe
- in magic
- matching my intentions with my actions
- vibrational healing
- the multiverse
- the possibility that we live concurrent lives
- the ability of our bodies and souls to heal and balance themselves
I believe all people and sentient beings deserve our love and respect and
should be treated with kindness and fairness and with equality.
How do I put this all in my paintings?
I think that might be why I love abstracts and abstract realism so much.
I bring all my life experience and emotion in through color, brush strokes and shapes. Each painting begins with a heart.
A heart and sometimes words. Words of encouragement, words that form the questions I have, words that say what my heart feels.
You’ll see a lot of energy and bold vibrant colors and marks in my paintings. I also hope you see and
feel the love, joy, happiness and fun I bring to my paintings.
“My art tells the stories of who I am and where I’ve been!”
My experience
Becky Steele's first “professional” painting was on the cinder block fence in the back yard of her childhood home. Her dad asked her to paint the silhouette of an eagle on the fence.
She says it turned out surprisingly well
and may still be there after 60+ years.
As with many of us, life took Steele in another direction,
first as a wife and mother and later as
a sales and marketing executive in the corporate world.
Fast forward to 2012, when Steele picked up a brush again and began painting acrylic abstracts. She loves abstracts because they are full of surprises, to her and to the audience. “Everyone sees something different," Steele says. "And it’s extra special when that something has meaning to them.”
She loves talking with others about her paintings
for just this reason.
Steele retired from her corporate career in 2019
and began painting full-time.
She says “Retirement has been the best surprise
ever for me! I get to paint every day!”
Her work shows it too.
She has work represented in both
personal and corporate collections all over the US, and
her pieces are currently on display at
Sunset River Gallery in Calabash, SC, Franklin Square Gallery in Southport, NC and Seacoast Artist's Gallery in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Steele is a member of Waterway Art Association,
Seacoast Artists Guild of South Carolina, The Art League of Leland, Wilmington Art Association, Wildlife Artists of the Carolinas, SC Watermedia Society and Associated Artists of Southport.
Steele and her partnerlive in Little River, SC.
They absolutely love life at the coast.
My vision
My superpower is “connecting possibilities”.
It makes sense that I’m curious and thrive well in the world of “what if’s”. It's also important to me to
share these ideas and engage with others.
Our lives are moving at a very rapid pace. People don’t always have or take the time to understand another person’s situation or challenges. I think bridges are a way to help us move from our own space into a universal common place where we can begin to better understand each other,
connect and relate.
Painting is my way to visually offer this possibility.
I paint bridges!
Ideas, feelings, memories, and moments.
I bring them to the canvas. They create a bridge to a permanent place to visit and enter at will. If emotion is also present, the experience is even more effective.
I believe we always have choices about how we handle ourselves and respond to others. In my world, I choose to make fun, love, humor and happiness my primary choices as a way to move through life in a positive way.
These are also important aspects you'll see in my paintings.
Hopefully, something you see will bring a smile to your face and joy/love to your heart.
I really do like big brushes and cannot lie.
I love bold, vibrant energetic colors and shapes.
I like to take a stand, commit with passion, make a statement, and show you ME!
I hope, in turn, you'll show me YOU!
Please enjoy my art and my vivid imagination!
And don't forget to look for the fun and surprises!