Joe Scarborough (artist)
Encyclopedia
Joe Scarborough is an artist born in Sheffield
, England
in 1938. He is most famous for painting humorous scenes of Sheffield life - everyday "real" images of the life and people of South Yorkshire
.
As a face worker at the Thorpe Hesley
colliery, he was inspired to paint by the contrast of the darkness of the mines and the lightness of the real world above the ground.
In 1968 disenchantment with the pits led to numerous jobs - labourer, municipal park gardener and a washer upper for some years, nurturing a dream to be a full-time painter. For years he pushed a handcart, packed with paintings round all his local pubs selling what he could in almost folkloric-like tradition, becoming at times like the characters he went on to portray in later scenes.
His paintings were popular and sold, sometimes for as much as £10 - an encouragement that led to his life-long dream being realised. His first one-man show lasted for two years at the Attic Cafe near Sheffield's main bus station. One-man and mixed exhibitions followed which took the everyday scenes of Yorkshire life from Sheffield to Rotherham
to London
to San Francisco to Chicago
and back to Sheffield.
Scarborough's paintings now appear in several major collections and numerous works have been imprinted. The images, the humour, the friendships, the story telling is still the same.
His largest work dominates the entrance to the Odeon Cinema in Sheffield - a mural depicting the history of Sheffield.
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1938. He is most famous for painting humorous scenes of Sheffield life - everyday "real" images of the life and people of South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
.
As a face worker at the Thorpe Hesley
Thorpe Hesley
Thorpe Hesley is a suburb of Rotherham. It lies on the east side of the M1 motorway at junction 35. Described in the late 19th century as an old village 6 miles from Sheffield, it was noted for the manufacture of nails. It lies in the township of Wentworth, except a small part which is in...
colliery, he was inspired to paint by the contrast of the darkness of the mines and the lightness of the real world above the ground.
In 1968 disenchantment with the pits led to numerous jobs - labourer, municipal park gardener and a washer upper for some years, nurturing a dream to be a full-time painter. For years he pushed a handcart, packed with paintings round all his local pubs selling what he could in almost folkloric-like tradition, becoming at times like the characters he went on to portray in later scenes.
His paintings were popular and sold, sometimes for as much as £10 - an encouragement that led to his life-long dream being realised. His first one-man show lasted for two years at the Attic Cafe near Sheffield's main bus station. One-man and mixed exhibitions followed which took the everyday scenes of Yorkshire life from Sheffield to Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to San Francisco to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and back to Sheffield.
Scarborough's paintings now appear in several major collections and numerous works have been imprinted. The images, the humour, the friendships, the story telling is still the same.
His largest work dominates the entrance to the Odeon Cinema in Sheffield - a mural depicting the history of Sheffield.