Steve Willingham

My first encounter with "Art" was at the age of 3. Next door we were playing schools, and someone(it must have been an adult) had drawn a picture, on a child's blackboard, of a ship on the sea. I was so taken by the skill of the drawing, that afterwards, I copied, and copied it to get it right. At one time the famous Artist Jacob Kramer happened to see me drawing this image on the pavement, and asked my grandma how old I was. She told him three and a half. He replied how skillful I was at drawing for such a young age. I will never forget that. I live in LEEDS in the UK, by myself. I am now a widower, but I have Suki my cat to keep me company. I am retired and paint and draw in my spare time.. my ambition is to be acknowledged as a serious artist.

I attended St. Anne's Primary, and St. Theresa's Primary for my first attendance at school, and went to St. Thomas Aquinas Grammar school after that. I qualified to go to Bradford Art College(David Hockney's old College) where I gained a Diploma in Textile Design, although my first love was drawing. After that I was more interested in finding out about life than making a career, so took any work I could do to get by. On retiring I started painting at a local mental health Arts Centre; InkwellArts and had an exhibition there a couple of years ago. I have put work up for sale at local venues, and sold some pieces..

I have exhibited in Leeds art gallery(Library), and the Bradford Art Library in the past. I Had a solo show at Inkwell Arts in 2011, which was very successful, and am having another solo exhibition of acrylic paintings there next week, August 30th 2016.