Simeon Stafford

Simeon Stafford was born in Dukinfield, UK, in 1959. As a young artist, his works were inspired by the gritty northern landscapes of L.S. Lowry - a major influence in his artistic career, as he was the one who encouraged him to paint - and other northern English artists. He is viewed as one of the most important living naive artists in the UK.

Simeon moved to Cornwall in 1996, where he met the artists Terry Frost and Patrick Heron. Thus his northern roots fused with the influence of colour and light from Frost and Heron and the magnetism of West Penwith to create an expressionism within his work which is both powerful and alluring.

Not concerned with angst and soul searching, in his own words "there is enough of that in the world of news today", Stafford's work is deeply idiosyncratic and reflects a world full of incident and accident, with splashes of vibrant colour and amusing compositions. He charmingly combines real and and imaginary characters and situations, with many of his paintings featuring characters from his family, including Auntie Dot, the little girl who is constantly doing a handstand, Trixie, the family Jack Russell, who lived until she was 28 and is now stuffed and a resident of Simeon’s bedroom and the black seaside donkey.

Stafford exhibited at the Royal Academy in 2001 and in 2003 he became a member of The Birmingham Society of Artists. His work can be found in numerous private collections, including those of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and former Prime Minister Tony Blair.