PAINTER Simeon Stafford celebrates his 70th birthday this July with a landmark solo exhibition at Whitewater Contemporary in Polzeath.

Simeon has lived and worked in Cornwall for thirty years, and his relationship with the gallery goes back to 2019, when he presented the first of his annual Featured Artist collections inspired by Polzeath and the North Cornwall coast.

This special birthday exhibition continues his North Cornwall series of works and captures the colour and vibrancy of the beaches in high summer, and the lively activities of resident and seasonal visitors.

The show also extends to many more of his favourite subjects: Cornish miners, fishing crews, scenes of central London, sports events and still life paintings all feature in this collection, giving a broad survey of Simeon’s ongoing inspirations.

This exhibition gives collectors the chance to acquire definitive works by one of the UK’s most celebrated artists, and to immerse themselves in playful scenes populated by a cast of Simeon’s famous characters, from Aunt Dot doing a handstand, to Trixie the family Jack Russell, and Ruby, the little girl with pigtails.

Simeon was born in Manchester in 1956, and as a child was introduced to noted painter L.S. Lowry, who became a family friend and encouraged him to follow a career in fine art. Simeon went on to study at Hyde College and began his career exhibiting works that reflected the gritty northern landscape in the Primitive style.

He relocated to Cornwall in 1996 and has since established himself as one of the UKs most recognised painters. He has exhibited at the Royal Academy, and his work is held in numerous public and private collections, including that of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

For more information about Whitewater Contemporary, visit: www.whitewatercontemporarygallery.co.uk