Steve Clayton

Steve Clayton M.A.

Born: Leeds UK. 1952.

Jacob Kramer College of Art. 1969-72.

Manchester polytechnic. (BA Hons) 1972-75.

Birmingham Polytechnic (MA) 1975-76.

Exhibitions of Work.

1975. Mixed Exhibition. Manchester.

1976. Serigraphs/rugs. Frankfurt.

1976. Traveling Scholarship, Sweden.

1976. Mixed Exhibition, Marstrand, Sweden.

1976. Mixed Exhibition, Birmingham.

1977. Handmade Rugs, Montreal.

1977. Handmade Rugs, Harrogate.

1978. Handmade Rugs, I.D.I. Birmingham.

1978. Handmade Rugs, Heimtex Frankfurt.

1979. Handmade Rugs, Bradford.

1980. Handmade Rugs, I.D.I. Birmingham.

1982. Handmade Rugs, Heimtex, Frankfurt.

1982-87. Handmade Rugs, I.D.I./Decorex, London.

1987-88. Handmade Rugs, Kortrijk, Belgium.

1989. Handmade Rugs, Atlanta, USA.

1989. Handmade Rug, Bay gallery, Perth WA.

1990. Handmade Rug, Gould Gallery, Melbourne.

1991. Handmade Rug, Beaver Gallery, ACT.

1991-98. Paintings. Eltham Art Festival.

1992-95. Paintings, Eltham Wiregrass Gallery.

1994-95. Handmade Rugs, Designex, Sydney.

1995-98. Paintings, Berrima Galleries, NSW.

1995-96. paintings, Yarra Valley Gallery, VIC.

1995-96. Paintings, St. Andrews Workshop, VIC.

1996-97. Handmade Rugs, Designex, Melbourne.

1999. Paintings/Serigraphs, Murdoch Barclay Gallery, Malvern, VIC.

Collections: Paintings/Serigraphs.

Birmingham Polytechnic.

Moseley Gallery, Birmingham.

Kunst Galleria, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Marstrand Designers, Sweden.

Bayview Collection, Cullen Scotland.

Mc Culloch Private Collection, Worcs.

Fertility Symbols – Leda - Stairway to Heaven.

I have for the last 30 years, divided my interests between my main occupation of designing and manufacturing handmade (hand-tufted) rugs, and painting, printing (serigraphs) and most recently etching.

I originally became interested in Pre-historic Art whilst collating a thesis for my BA at Manchester. I then used the subject as my major study for my MA at Birmingham.

A continuing fascination with the earliest translations of the “Venus-Goddess” subject, female form and fertility symbols supply an endless amount of information and ideas.

“This was the infancy of Art but not Art of infancy”.

“Naïve” themes have stayed with me becoming a personal diary of works, developing through the Mythological story of Leda, into another theme, “Stairway to heaven”.

These three idea sources have become my main attention, companion and inspiration.

Images are continually evolving, exciting me to create a kind of story telling without a fixed narrative.

Sometimes images are representational, others abstract or non figurative. This chosen path allows me to purposely free myself from a fixed blueprint, style or Identity.

Changing medium, materials and techniques have also evolved, from Prints, small scale paintings (Gouache) to larger pieces Oils/Acrylics.

I have never been overly precious with my work, and have always been interested in the use of deliberate decorative components within a “Fine Art” context; however I have never described or considered myself a Fine Artist”.

In all my work I have tried to provide some humor.