Sean Durkin, full of irony and narrative, is simultaneously playful and powerful in his paintings. Now an acclaimed artist with a loyal following, Sean’s path to becoming an artist is quite the tale, further adding to the impact of his work.

In 1972, his father, John Durkin, stole and held ransom a Lowry painting of Middlesbrough Town Hall and Saint Hilda’s Church from the local art gallery. In exchange for the painting’s safe return, he demanded that the Lord Mayor raffle his underpants for charity and that the gallery be installed with a better alarm system as well as be opened on Sundays “to allow the working man to get some culture”. Only a boy of eight at the time, Sean recalls coming downstairs the following morning to find the stolen painting on the mantelpiece.

He was fascinated by the atmosphere of the painting and the ‘matchstick’ people as they scurried around the scene.  He did not realise it at the time, but the painting would have a profound effect on his life, and ultimately inspire him to become an artist himself.

Would you like to see how an artwork will look on your wall before purchasing? We offer an ‘Art Visualisation’ Service which might help! This free service allows you to see how a painting would look in your home without it ever leaving the gallery. Just send us a photo of the space and wall where you would like to see the artwork and we will do the rest. If you can include some dimensions as a reference point it will help to scale the painting correctly against your wall.

Please email your images to sales@forestgallery.com with dimensions and the artwork or artworks which you would like to see on your wall.

For those living in the South-East of England we also offer a Home Viewing Service and Home Approval Service. To take advantage of either of these services please call us on 01798 368181 to discuss your requirements.

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To take advantage of this free service please get in contact with the gallery via the enquiry button above or call 01798 368181 to speak with a member of staff.

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