Steve Sherrell is a career painter from the Chicago school of art. He was raised in Indiana but moved to the Chicago area to finish his education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA and MFA in Painting and Drawing. His early influence was his father who was a painter and window dresser for a large department store. As a boy he was exposed to Abstract Expressionism, Cubism, Pop Art, American Realism and the decorative arts. His training at the School of the Art Institute was with Ray Yoshida and Whitney Halstead, who introduced him to studio practices that he has utilized since he graduated. He is a retired Professor of Art from Joliet Junior College.

He is currently the Director of Exhibitions at Water Street Studios in Batavia, Illinois and founder of the Water Street Studios Artist’s Collective.