Paintings and mixed media works by Waldoboro artist, Joyce Eames Steel, are currently on exhibit at the Miles Memorial Hospital Hall Gallery through Nov. 24.

Steel draws inspiration for her art primarily from nature and her coastal surroundings. Her paintings, either in acrylic or in oil, vary in style and technique from detailed representational scenes to freer, gestural suggestions of subject matter. Additionally, she creates assemblages, prints and a variety of mixed media pieces.

“Forever, it seems, I’ve been advised to be consistent in my work - to stick with just one style,” Steel admits, “but I tend to follow my inner voice - where it leads me - and I’m always drawn to experimenting with different approaches.”

Born into a family of artists, Steel started “messing with paint” and drawing at a very early age. She was an art major in secondary school and went on to study at the School of the Museum of Arts, Boston, majoring in printmaking. Later she earned a degree in design from Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, Connecticut; and studied painting and book design at Studio Art Centers International (S.A.C.I.) in Florence, Italy. She earned teaching certification at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut; and taught art for many years in both private and public education and continues to instruct children’s and adult classes locally.

“The rewards of teaching are many, especially working with kids,” she states, “developing new projects and watching them explore materials and process, is a gift - it always gets me going in new directions with my own work.” Steel shows her work in the Midcoast area at River Arts, Damariscotta (where she was recently honored with a People’s Choice award); the Boothbay Region Art Foundation, Boothbay Harbor; and Tidemark Gallery in Waldoboro.

For more information about her works on view at Miles Memorial Hospital Hall Gallery, please contact the artist directly at jesteel14@gmail.com.