Bramhall artist Malcolm Croft has just opened a one-man show at the respected Art Décor Gallery in Lancashire, further progress for a figurative artist who is making a name for himself with his bold use of colour.
The artist, 49, was born in Newcastle and studied photography at art college, going on to work for the Press Association in Fleet Street and then Manchester. He won the Press Photographer of the Year award in 1997 for his coverage of the IRA bomb attack on Manchester, but a stellar career was cut short when he was hit by a car while cycling.
Unable to work he decided to teach myself to paint and although his early efforts, despite selling well, were technically naive, he has progressed to become an artist of some competence, painting his local landscape and still life in a way that is determinedly his own. The influences on the artist are easily seen, but he has nonetheless developed a way of looking at things, and using colour, that makes his paintings instantly recognizable. In this respect he is a cut above the usual northern scene artists, with their endless depictions of Albert Square and Stockport Viaduct.
The exhibition ‘Made in England’ opens at the Art Decor Gallery on Friday 20th September and runs until October 12th.