Growing up in Cornwall the coast has always been a huge influence and inspiration to Steve. He was lucky enough to have the fantastic Cornish painter John Piper as his art teacher at school, through him gaining a valuable place at Falmouth School of Art in 1987.
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After Falmouth Steve then went on to spend over a decade in the advertising and design industry, working in London and Amsterdam, before returning to the coast in 2003, to Dorset. As an artist his recurring interest in coastal landscapes and marine scenes never ceases to captivate him – his paintings often conveying the very same sense of anticipation he would get at spending the day at the beach.
Another great influence on Steve's work has been the artwork associated with travel posters from the 1920’s and 1930’s where detail is kept to a minimum, and the use of flat colour and strong shapes created by light and shadow. Working with light and shadow is further emphasised by choosing to use a limited palette of desaturated, earthy hues – rather than ‘pulling you in’ allowing you to ‘drift’ effortlessly into the scene as if on a gentle tide.
