“I always liked collecting old items from fairs and car boots, and was especially drawn to paintings. After a while I started to collect art: buying in auctions and wherever I could find it.

I think the first whale painting was after I just retired from building, and on holiday I bought two 1950s watercolours from a charity shop in Carmarthen, Wales. They were of whaling ships, which I thought was an unusual subject. I decided to paint a whale, put it into an old frame, and sold it online for a few quid. So I started to paint more and do the same. I was so surprised when a few months later Sailors Jail contacted me to exhibit them, but I think it’s great that so many people like my paintings.’

Since the beginning of 2024, Steve's story and paintings have now gone viral, with celebrities and art dealers clamouring to get hold of them, and values increasing by more than 10x in the space of a few months.