Steve Cull, the Painter Mailman

We have the opportunity to meet many interesting people at The Eye Care Institute but this month we would like to tell you about the surprising second career of our mailman. During the day, Steve Cull walks through Butchertown delivering mail and smiles. After work, he is a folk artist with an international following. His work has been shown at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City and sold across America as well as in Europe and South Africa.

Steve is self taught. He took some art classes at the University of Louisville in the early 1960s but didn’t like them and left. After a stint in the Navy, he returned to Louisville and began working for the postal service. He began his painting in his spare time and began showing his art in Louisville in the 1970s. He took a break from the postal service and, from 1982 to 1992, he worked on contract with Sailor’s Valentine Gallery in Nantucket.

He returned to the postal service in 1992 but continues to paint. He said that the downturn in the economy has affected his sales but he stores his work, waiting for the right time. In the meantime, he enjoys delivering mail and smiles through Butchertown.

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