“An artist’s role is to live a remarkable life and report back on it in their work.”

These are words contemporary artist Andrew J. Steel lives by. For him, art is a form of storytelling – one that’s rooted in exploration.

It’s an idea Andrew traces back to his childhood. Growing up in a small, quiet part of New Zealand, he spent a lot of time skateboarding around his hometown and observing the structures and natural settings that surrounded him.

“A skateboard can be a lot of kids’ first vehicle, a way you can learn to move around without Mum, and a means to explore and discover what architecture you can play with. I got hooked,” Andrew says.

He’s since traded in skateboarding for driving – and observing for creating – but this formative experience in his youth connected him with his environment and ignited his passion for exploration.

“I loved the freedom of rolling around, making a playground of a town or city and connecting with the community,” he says. “I experienced the world through a creative lens, and became increasingly curious about culture, architecture and the creative opportunities it offered.”

You can see these experiences come alive in Andrew’s art, expressed through his whimsical and unpretentious signature style. Originally a street artist, many of his illustrations now adorn public buildings around New Zealand and are a cherished part of the local landscape.

Beyond large-scale projects and public artworks, Andrew’s work also spans private interiors, fine artwork, letterpress and digital works, and he has received international recognition from collectors, architects and designers.