Steve Read

Steve grew up in Cornwall and the coast has always been a huge influence and inspiration to him. He was fortunate enough to have Cornish Painter John Piper as his art teacher at school and through him gained a place at Falmouth School of Art in 1987.

He 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 Steve has a recurring interest in coastal landscapes and marine scenes, and his paintings often convey a sense of anticipation at spending the day at the beach.

A 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 color and strong shapes created by light and shadow.

Another motivating factor for his art is color – choosing to use a limited palette of desaturated, earthy hues.