An artist has described how moving to West Kirby has completely changed her life.
When Steph Aldwinckle moved from London to the seaside town in 2019, she was thinking about raising the quality of life for her whole family.
Staying at home in 2020 led many people to create art for the first time, but having graduated in illustration and animation several years earlier, Steph’s interest was well established.
However, her career had taken another direction and with art becoming an ongoing hobby, it just didn’t hold the same novelty factor that it did for some people.
Plus Steph was too busy picking up after her two young children to pick up a paintbrush.
It was after the schools reopened that Steph found time to start working on new abstracts – and she didn’t have far to search for inspiration. She describes the views across the peninsula and over to the dramatic Welsh hills as “what many artists dream of” and adds: “The constantly changing weather and light is something I’ll never tire of trying to capture”.
When asked whether she’d considered having a home studio before, Steph said it first crossed her mind when she looked out of the window of what is now her house, saying “it seemed the perfect view”.
Despite having a continual source of inspiration on her doorstep, Steph never really considered herself and artist until she started selling work. This was prompted when a visitor to her new home asked about the paintings on her wall. It’s for this reason that Steph credits the move as being completely “life changing”.
Without the views and people of West Kirby, Steph said: “I wouldn’t be the professional artist I am today”.
Two years on from selling her first piece, Steph now ships art globally.
The artist is also about to embark on a collaborative exhibition to mark Earth Day, in one of Liverpool’s premier creative hubs, Arts Bar Hope Street in Liverpool.
Steph said: “I’ve been really lucky, I know some people struggle for years to practice art full time, so I’m really grateful for how things have worked out.”
The Earth Day event, curated by Laura McCann, also features works by Lena and the Sea, Suzanne Grace and Andreea Mate, all of whom create work informed by nature.
Entry is free to Arts Bar Hope Street, with the launch evening on Thursday 20th 6pm-9pm, followed by the full exhibition on Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd April, 12pm- 5pm.
Steph’s work can be viewed on Instagram @stephaldwinckleart
For more information about the exhibition, go to lauramccannphotos.com