The art of saying hello to everybody: Aotearoa's friendliest artist
In her debut book Hello to Everybody, Wellington illustrator Sallie Culy depicts the smiling faces of the people in her life.
Most afternoons, when it’s not raining, Sallie Culy takes the bus into the city.
The felt-pen drawings of friends, family members and celebrities in Hello to Everybody, reflect the 45-year-old illustrator's warm feelings towards every person she meets.
“I usually say 'hi' to everybody in town,” she tells Culture 101.
Sallie Culy depicts happy skaters at Wellington's Waitangi Park in her new book Hello to Everybody.
Michael Mahne Lamb
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Sallie lives with the rare genetic disorder Williams Syndrome, which causes developmental delays and has been dubbed the opposite of autism.
Her brother Harry, also an artist, was early inspiration for her drawing.
"I thought, maybe I want to do something like that. I was thinking about it very hardly. I was thinking all the time, and now I feel good about it."
Wellington artist Sallie Culy with her book Hello To Everybody
Harry Culy
Every Tuesday night, Sallie heads up to Harry's house in Brooklyn to draw - in a naive graphic style using felt pens, regular pens and pencils.
So far, she's exhibited her work in the 2022 Courtney Place light box exhibition and the 2024 exhibition Feeling Goodat Wellington's Envy gallery.
As well as being big sister to Harry, Sallie has two other younger siblings - her "amazing" brother Tom and sister Rose.
“We get along, our family. We get along with each other very well.”
An illustration from Sallie Culy's book Hello to Everybody
Michael Mahne Lamb
Tom and Harry are skateboarders, and for years Sallie has been a regular at Waitangi Skate Park - home to the Bowlzilla skate event.
Hanging out with the skate community there has been "a great help", she says.
"I enjoy just watching people skate. Sometimes people need help, as well.”
One thing Sallie would like to see more of at the skate park, though, is communication.
"We need to talk more often because I want to learn about other people's side of their story.
"The community wants a bit more communication about how the people are feeling in terms of seeing each other again... [for example] ‘I'm gonna miss you. I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life.’"
An illustration from Sallie Culy's book Hello to Everybody
Michael Mahne Lamb
For the last 17 years, Sallie has been a member of the "amazing" Wellington Community Choir.
"I love love love it. I just love choir. It's just good for a sore throat, anxiety, depression, anything. It's a miracle, and it helps me to relax, I guess.”
Musicians that Sallie likes and would love to meet one day feature in Hello to Everybody, and she'd be happy to show Beyoncé and Elton John and Snoop Dogg around Pōneke.
“Most people from all over really don't know about New Zealand… They don't understand New Zealand much.”
Sallie is “stoked and happy” to release Hello to Everybody, and perfectly fine with the idea that releasing a book will probably mean she has even more people to greet.
“I’m a huge fan of anyone comes my way or says hi, too.”
Profits from the book's sale will go to the Zealandia wildlife sanctuary - chosen because Sallie feels the same way about birds as she does humans.
"I love any bird that comes to me, any bird is great."
Hello to Everybodyis published by Bad News Books.
Michael Mahne Lamb
