Steve Read

Steve grew up in Cornwall, and the coast has always been a major source of influence and inspiration for him. He was lucky enough to have the Cornish painter John Piper as his art teacher at school and, thanks to him, he won a place at Falmouth School of Art in 1987.

He then spent more than ten years in advertising and design, working in London and Amsterdam, before returning to the coast in 2003, in Dorset.

As an artist, Steve returns again and again to coastal landscapes and seaside scenes, and his paintings often convey a sense of anticipation at the thought of spending the day at the beach.

Steve's work has been strongly influenced by the travel posters of the 1920s and 1930s, in which detail is kept to a minimum and flat areas of color are used together with strong shapes created by light and shadow.

Another driving force behind his art is color – he chooses to use a limited palette of desaturated, earthy tones.