Steven Scholes

A professional Lancashire artist, born in Bury in 1951, Steven Scholes now lives in Rochdale. He has been painting from an early age and won his first award when aged seven. Steven's most prolific style was greatly influenced by his grandfather, who was born in Liverpool Road near Deansgate, Manchester; a city he used to travel around throughout his childhood, appreciating the interesting details of the Victorian and Edwardian Architecture. Stories of a gone by era: growing up in an industrial city, experiences of school and travelling to work on the trams are all inspiration. His Grandfather was also a catalyst for his interest in local history, in addition to visual art, giving Scholes his first oil paints for his fourteenth birthday.

On leaving school, Scholes worked at Lewis Market Street and the wonderful people he worked with would talk of their younger days in the thirties and forties, which gave him even more visual stimulation that he uses in his work. He also recalls his own memories of Manchester: Christmas shopping with his mother, being part of the crowd in the bustling city centre, the memory of constant rain and being fascinated by all buildings, wearing layers of black soot from its industrial past.

Steven has used these experiences as a source, capturing local history in his work, creating vivid street scenes enhanced with spectacular light effects, bringing together movement and life from a bygone age - typically on those wet November days.

Steven's talent was recognised when in 1974 he won the Manchester Evening News Art Competition. This competition was open to professional artists as well as amateurs. As a result the demand for his work increased so much that Steven became a professional artist in 1978 and to this day he is still engaged by the city, and the constant rain that blankets it.

Steven sells his work through art galleries and by the undertaking of commissions. In 1991 he held a successful one man exhibition at Saddleworth Museum and Art Gallery. His work is sought by corporate and private collectors throughout this country. In addition sales of Steven's historic scenes are popular in Australia and Canada.

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