Sally Steele's sketchbooks are for the eye to behold! They display a delightful appreciation for the colorful details encountered in the many intriguing places she has visited. Sally and her husband Richard love to travel. They have been to New Zealand, the Southeast, all over Europe, Mexico and Canada. "I do sketchbooks or 1/4 sheets (like the plein-air work shown here) as they fit easily in a suitcase, and Richard takes photos. Only my latest sketchbooks are really polished. Before that, I wrote, glued in mementos, and sketched."

"I always loved art. My parents sent me to Italy for a year before college (before the 13th year was ever invented). In Florence, my world opened up--the streets, the history, the artists, the language, and a wonderful painting teacher. I returned and went to the Museum School in Boston for a year until my father told me he wouldn't pay for four years of painting. I had to get a Bachelor of Arts. Good advice, as it turns out. But between college, family, being a graphic designer, and running a successful publishing business for several decades, I did not paint."

Sally picked up painting again about eight years ago. She took one class at the DeCordova on sketch booking, then drawing and watercolor. She still enjoys taking classes there and enjoys the instruction. Sally explains, "I continue to take watercolor classes on Fridays--when I enroll fast enough--with a great teacher, Kat O'Conner. She is very popular, teaches really well, and pushes us! We have all become good friends and paint outside the class together and take field trips to museums. We're heading off to see the watercolors at the Currier in Manchester, NH this month."

Most of the sketches shown here are from Mexico. Her process is fluid and spontaneous which gives her work a very light and narrative quality. "I like to walk the streets and sketch quickly in pencil. Later, I find a cool place or my room (the window view sketch) and finish them with a black roller ball or sepia pen and a tiny traveling set of watercolors. I also carry a digital camera, so often I have snapped a picture that I can turn into a sketch while enjoying a cold Cerveza during siesta time under trees. I might sketch in the evenings also, looking at the tiny window of my traveling digital camera! This allows me to capture the moment, which I so love doing."

Often when she returns home from her travels, she will use the imagery from her sketchbook to create a larger piece of work. The sketchbooks and larger pieces provide a wonderful way to document and remember the feelings and events associated with the places she and Richard have traveled over the years. While their travel plans are on hold for a bit as they gear down for retirement, Sally continues to find plenty of opportunities to create her refreshing watercolor sketches. Sally explains, "The joy of sketch booking and en plein air painting is that one does not need to travel far to have a good time at it."

Sally's paintings have been offered through the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church annual auction and to individuals who ask about her work. She has also participated in shows at the DeCordova. Sally has also been a visiting artist in Julie Cook's Bromfield art classroom demonstrating her watercolor skills to students. As Sally puts it, "It is all for fun!" We have to agree, her playful use of line and color reflect a pure enjoyment of the process. For inquiries about her work, send email to sally@tsteele.com.