“Joy on Ice” is an original piece created by Bill Steidel in 1985.

Painting was Bill’s language. It spoke for him as words could not. His brush and colors slit through the protective barriers he felt we build around ourselves with words, to communicate more sensitively a variety of emotions. 

If he didn’t have a paintbrush in his hand, he had a guitar. He often would sit in his gallery, wearing his bowler hat and paint-spattered denim apron, strumming his guitar.

Bill and his beloved wife, Sally, passed away within three days of each other in October 2024. Their only son, Sam, a former Cannon Beach mayor, died the following January. 

Cannon Beach, the town between the sea and the mountains, provided artful inspiration for the Steidel family for 64 years. The Steidel family will always remain in the hearts of the Cannon Beach community.