Billy Mack Steele, who is part Cherokee, is a self-taught artist that works not only in watercolor, but also with acrylic, pastel, pencil and pen and ink. He also works with clay and soapstone carvings. Most, but not all, of his watercolor paintings have a Native American theme.
In the Marine Corps he drew and painted as much as his free time allowed. While employed at Eastern Airlines for 23 years, Billy began his watercolor painting. First, as a hobby, then became a full time artist when Eastern went out of business.
Billy attends Native American Pow Wows and festivals to sell his artwork. Many of his paintings are taken from photographs of native friends. The photos are then turned into watercolor paintings.
Billy goes into schools all over the South, giving watercolor demonstrations of Native Americans.
His work is shown in the TRAIL OF TEARS MUSEUM at New Echota in Calhoun, Georgia; the OCMULGEE MUSEUM in Macon, Georgia, the MUSIC HALL OF FAME, also in Macon, Georgia, and the TRAIL OF TEARS MUSEUM in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.