Collett, Stephen

Painting (Drawing, Photography, Sculpting)

His first larger project involved him being commissioned by the council to paint inspiring murals in his village bus shelter depicting scenes from the village in preparation for the Millennium which he completed when he was only 16. Despite his talent, his advanced ideas on what contemporary painting should be were thought too radical by some, causing him to be thrown out of his A-level art class at 17. This led Stephen to change schools in protest leaving him only one year to complete the course. After leaving his new upper school with top marks in both Art theory and practice, he studied Architecture at the University of Liverpool for 3 years before taking up art full time.

His main influences are the French impressionists, Cezanne in particular, but going further back, Turner was and still is Collett’s main influence. He is fascinated by his techniques and practices, being centuries before his time. Beyond that, Hopper, Rothko, Van Gogh and Da Vinci also inspire him. He likes to work in many different styles and mediums; constantly challenging himself and pushing the boundaries in the pursuit of creating something new and exciting.

In order to break new artistic ground, we must study the masters before us and apply emerging themes and technologies of the day in such a way that the result can be viewed as an evolution of both thought and artistic practice.

He has worked on projects with many business and charities such as the TUC, NSPCC and the NHS. Stephen has also worked with the Walker Art gallery hosting Master Classes in conjunction with the John Moores painting competition. As well as several public art projects and artist in residence schemes, the Stephen Collett has recently had solo shows in Liverpool, London, Berlin and New York.