Steve Kell sold his first oil painting at age 18, but his creative bent and runaway sense of humor quickly steered him toward cartooning and humorous greeting-card writing. Cut to forty years later (after moonlighting with a full career as a pilot, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross while in the Air Force flying DC-3’s in Vietnam, and later flying for the commercial airlines PSA and USAir, logging well over 20,000 hours). Now a widely recognized magazine cartoonist, Steve has sold to a hundred different magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Saturday Evening Post, and Good Housekeeping. His Universal Press syndicated comic strip “The Captain and Mandy” appeared in over 70 newspapers nationwide. But that’s not all.
In the last few years Steve has returned to the easel, (jumping at an early retirement package) endured the many workshops, braved the elements, the howling breezes, packs of wild Chihuahuas, and a rather nasty tick that decided to have its way with him. In juried shows throughout Southern California, Steve quickly began winning awards for his unique plein air painting. Although now represented by several galleries in the area, he still likes participating in the outdoor shows offered by the many art organizations to which he belongs.
