Artist profile - Steven Rigby

Some of the local scenes painted by artist Steven Rigby start as sketches on the back betting slips.

Steven Rigby moved to Southport more than 20 years ago to work in water treatment, and when he isn't doing that, he's working in watercolours.

As an artist, he likes to paint urban scenes featuring some of the town's most famous landmarks. His gallery also contains paintings of Liverpool's famous waterfront and cityscapes of European capitals.

Originally from Runcorn, he is largely self-taught but travelled to Australia to study under acclaimed Aussie artist Joseph Zbukvic.

But many of his favourite paintings - such as the ones on these pages - are of his home town. He likes to work in situ when the weather allows, but also works at home, using from photographs and sketches. And many of the sketches he makes are done on the backs of betting slips.

'I take betting slips and pens from the bookies when I go in to put a bet on the football. They're free art materials,' he says.

'I try to create atmosphere and mood in my paintings. It's about tone, rather than colour. I don't use many colours, it's about light.

'I like rainy paintings and I like painting buildings, particularly the Liver Building in Liverpool and the buildings along Lord Street in Southport, with Trinity Church at one end and the clock tower at the other. I tend to include one of those big verticals in my work.'

And there was another big vertical in the piece he created for Sky's Landscape Painter of the Year programme. He appeared on the show this autumn, painting a coastal scene near Plymouth.

'It was a painting of Smeaton's Tower from Plymouth Hoe, looking down on Drake's island,' he says. 'It was a great experience to be on the programme and hopefully it will be good exposure for me.'