City artist celebrates 60 years of painting

An artist from Hull whose work focuses on his home city and the wider Humber area has pledged to "just carry on painting" as he celebrates 60 years of creativity.

Stewart Taylor turned 80 last month and to mark the occasion he was joined at North Ferriby Village Hall on Saturday by many of the students he has taught,

Taylor's marine art and seascapes have been acquired by private collectors across the world.

The artist said: "I was born near the Humber and the River Hull, and if you can't get inspiration from those subjects when you're a kid, then there's something wrong."

Taylor said his love of art began at Spyvee Street, which was demolished during the 1960s.

"It was fabulous to live down there. We enjoyed ourselves," he explained.

"It was just after the war and people were still on rations.

"It was what you would call a poor area, one of the poorest areas in Hull, but I wouldn't change it for the world."

Taylor said he was currently working on a canvas of a street scene showing preparations for Bonfire Night.

His friends and the people who lived in the street were being painted from memory.

"I teach my students to use imagination," Taylor said.

Twelve of the artist's pupils exhibited their pictures at the village hall as part of his birthday celebrations this weekend.

Former nurse Anne Purdy, who has worked under Taylor's stewardship for over five years, displayed a painting about her survival from breast cancer.

"Stewart is not only an artist, he's also a therapist of sorts," she said.

"We spend lots of time laughing, singing and painting."

Meanwhile, Andrew Penny said the variety of styles among the works on display were testimony to the impact of Taylor's teaching.

"He hasn't asked for us all to become clones of him," Penny said.

"He encourages us to do what we do. I think that's a mark of a great teacher."

Taylor paints in oils and watercolour and is renowned for his romantic marine paintings and local street scenes.

The artist said that if he had the opportunity to come back again, he would not change a thing.

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