NSG’s David Lancaster caught up with Manchester based artist Stephen Lynn, to talk about growing up in Warrington, designing Twisted Wheel’s latest album sleeve, and hanging out with one of the Gallaghers in Paris. For the last decade, Stephen Lynn has pursued his dream of being a “Full time” professional artist. Now firmly established with his own studio, his designs feature on numerous record sleeves and after having a very successful exhibition showcasing his best pieces, Stephen continues rubbing shoulders with some of the north west’s finest musicians and entertainers, he has many an interesting tale to tell. 

DL:  Hi mate, thanks for taking time out to chat with us today. I hear you are originally from Warrington. Where did you grow up exactly and were you always the first in and last out of art class? How did you get into the painting, to begin with ??

SL: Yes I grew up in Warrington, I was really lucky as it was like the centre of the universe for me, Liverpool on one side, Manchester on the other. One for football and one for music. When I grew up Warrington was still like a “puritan town,” everywhere used to shut half day.  So I was travelling to Liverpool and Manchester to do lots of stuff, only a half hour train ride to either place. I never really got taught too well at school about drawing, painting, and techniques, but I managed to get into art college after school and the tutors encouraged me to experiment much more.I think I’ve always been into painting, I can remember my auntie Teena used to sit with me and we’d draw together and I’d always buy art pads and pens with my pocket money and stuff, so from an early age I remember liking art.

DL: So here you are in Oldham in your own studio and you’re living just down the road in Manchester, what prompted the move to The Northern Quarter, and was it always a dream to have your own studio?

SL: I moved to Manchester as I was spending more and more time here as my work started to get recognised more. I was coming here five times a week so the travelling got expensive. When I moved here I really needed a base as just working from my apartment would have been impossible, so I had to look at getting a studio, so here I am at Britannia Mill in Oldham. It’s a massive space and I can leave work lying about to dry and people can drop in to visit and I have a gallery area where people can come and buy pieces of my work, so yes it is a dream come true to have my own studio.

DL:  Tell us about your work Ste, for those who haven’t seen it, what’s it all about?, I see someone named you the “Pencil Poet.”

SL: Most of my work is portraits of iconic stars from the music world or the film world. It’s big and colourful, psychedelic, very “street” looking. It’s been called “Pop Art on steroids,” but yer, one of my customers named me “The pencil poet,” which was nice and she’s just bought another painting off me, a picture of Stevie Nicks. There’s another guy who’s bought a load of stuff off me, he says my paintings are like Panini football stickers, he said once you buy one you want to buy another one. Just recently I’ve teamed up with a guy in Bolton called Neon Tony, who’s an expert in the neon world which is his field and we’re doing a joint venture which is called “Hydra.rt,” which will bring my work and his work together, creating one off unique pieces. I’m really looking forward to that.

DL: What’s your favourite piece you’ve done so far?

SL: That’s a very good question. I used to think it was a Liam Gallagher picture that I had signed by him, but now, on reflection, I think my best piece is always the next one, as an artist I think it’s too easy to rest on your laurels. I think you should always be looking for your next masterpiece. I think my best work is still ahead of me. One project that I really did enjoy was doing all the artwork for the pub, The Old Nags Head on Deansgate, Manchester. If you go in there you can see my art on the walls, the ceiling and up in the roof garden.

(Liam Gallagher by Stephen Lynn)

DL: You’ve really established yourself over the last 5 or 6 years, you’ve had a few exhibitions including a high profile charity event at Factory 251. That must have been a real buzz, who came, and was it a success??

SL: Obviously coming to Manchester over the years, The Hacienda and Factory Records had been a big part of my life, so when I decided I wanted to do an exhibition I asked the lovely Georgina Robinson to help me organise it and it was Georgina who helped me make the connection with Factory 251, thanks to Peter Hook too for that. It was a massive success for me, I sold 250 tickets and I picked the NSPCC as my chosen charity as I wanted a percentage of ticket sales to go towards helping them. I also donated some bespoke artwork to them. I was very nervous on the night but it went down really really well. Johnny Brown from Twisted Wheel did an acoustic set and I also had the legendary John Da Silva from ‘The Hac’ doing a set that night. I got really good feedback and had some amazing magazine reviews, everyone who turned up seemed to enjoy it.

DL: I guess with your style of portrait painting and living where you do, you must have made a few friends in the music scene. You’ve had some help and support from big names such as Rowetta Satchell and Johnny Brown, did they just give you a shout-out or did you do some work for them?

SL:  The connection with Rowetta came about as I had done a picture of her and I asked her if got a print of it, would she sign it and she was more than happy to meet up and do so. I was overjoyed as it was actually my birthday, although I was a bit star struck having seen The Happy Mondays a good few times. I was really happy when she shared my picture on social media and since then she’s commissioned me to do a picture as a present for her friend’s birthday. I met Johnny Brown at MMTV which is run by two well known characters from Manchester, Fat Neck and Anton, who do a lot for unsigned bands in the city. I got talking to Johnny about my art, exchanged numbers, we met a few times, and just before my exhibition, I asked if he’d be interested in doing the acoustic set. When Johnny and his band mates saw how well that night went, he asked if I’d be interested in doing his album cover for their album ‘Satisfying the Ritual.’When I was asked it was like a dream come true, with music being such a big important part of my life, it took me back to listening to albums in my bedroom in Warrington, seeing the Warhol sleeve for The Velvet Underground album and Pete Seville’s Joy Division work, it really was something I’d always dreamt of. I’ve also done a lot of work for a guy called Ben Rooke and his band Regent. I predict really big things for those guys, keep an eye out for them. But yer, I’ve made loads of friends here really.

DL:  Doing artwork for bands and singers must mean you getting invited to lots of shows, tours and parties. Have you been asked to go anywhere exciting Ste? 

SL: I was Twisted Wheel’s guest when they supported Liam Gallagher on his U.K. tour then I went to the last 2 dates of Liam’s European tour where T.W. we’re also supporting. So I went to Zurich and Paris and got to meet Bonehead and Liam’s brother, Paul Gallagher, he’s a really nice fella and he’s really funny. I actually spent the afternoon with him in Paris. Eric Cantona was at that Paris show too. I was also lucky enough to go to Clint Boon’s 50th birthday party, we ended up at Night and Day. So yes, it’s exciting getting invited to all these places.

DL: You’re really mixing in some big circles there Stephen. I hear you had Ian Brown around to your flat to sign some of your paintings, how the hell did you manage that?

SL: That actually happened by pure chance. It was the day after my exhibition and I was meeting a friend for breakfast when Ian Brown walked past. Both my friend and I asked Ian for a selfie with us and I asked him how I could get some of my work signed by him, as I’d tried to do so at an album signing of his a few weeks earlier but his management hadn’t allowed it. It was then that Ian asked where I lived. I said I only lived five minutes walk away from where we were and he said, “well, come on let’s go.”People say that you shouldn’t meet your heroes, but I can tell you Ian Brown is a complete gentleman. Most people ask if I asked him about The Stone Roses, the only thing I mentioned about the Roses was me going to Spike Island as a kid, but he must have millions of people asking him questions about the band. We spoke a lot about Warrington, as he’s a Warringtonian too and he grew up not too far away from where I did, but yer, it was brilliant but a bit surreal having him sat in my living room.

(Ian Brown signing art in Stephens Flat)

DL:  How do you think social media helps artists today? If indeed it does help.

SL:  It’s been a massive help for me as I’ve sold pieces of work word-wide to people in Australia, America, and most of Europe. That definitely wouldn’t have happened without social media. My work is accessible to people 24/7 and my pages on Insta and Facebook have a huge following. Every now and again I do an “Art give-away” on my pages and that gets a massive response, also it’s nice being encouraged by my followers, I appreciate their feedback and support. I’m still very humbled that people take time out to like and comment on my work and I always make sure to reply to them.

DL:  Famously, artists move about and relocate to find new inspiration, could you ever see yourself moving to another city or another country? If so, where and why??

SL: As an artist, I think it would be wrong to get stuck in one place forever and you can outgrow a place, a bit like I did with Warrington. Before lockdown came, I was looking at the possibility of moving to L.A., there might have been an opportunity for me out there. There’s so much culture there to be explored, such as The Doors, Hunter S Thompson and the whole Hollywood thing, so much to get inspired by. I think I’d maybe like to live in Italy for a bit, I’ve visited there a few times and they have a great history of classic art, architecture, and football which again is all very inspirational. 

DL: If you could travel back in time, which artist’s studio would you go and visit for a few days to get a few tips and have a natter?

SL: I’d like to go back to the late ’60s and visit Andy Warhol at his Factory in NYC when he was working with The Velvet Underground and making all his movies with Edie Sedgwick and Candy Darling and doing all those screen prints of Marilyn and Elvis. It would be amazing to watch him work and just hang out at The Factory. I actually went to NY and visited in 2018, I went to see where The Factory was and it’s actually a pet shop now, I’m not sure what Andy would make of that.

(Stephens Studio)

DL: Okay, let’s fast forward a bit now. It’s 2022 and it’s safe to play out again. You go on a road trip in your special time travelling convertible. You can pick up 3 people, artists, singers, whoever, from any time period, dead or alive. Who are you picking up and where are you heading?? 

SL: I think I’d do a road trip all around Spain, up to Barcelona then get the car ferry to Ibiza. For the journey, I’m picking up Jim Morrison, Hunter S Thompson, and Andy Warhol, because I think it’d be fucking nuts, imagine partying in Ibiza with them three. Having the Lizard King on a road trip with Hunter S Thompson along for the ride too, crazy!

DL: Once again thank you for giving us the chance to interview you, anything else you’d like to add? What’s coming up for Ste Lynn, where can we see your work??

SL: Thanks for asking me to be in your magazine and I wish you all the best for the future. As for myself, I’ve got a few things in the pipeline, just keep checking on my Facebook and Instagram pages as well as my art page..‘Stephen Lynn’s Dionysus Art.’Feel free to drop by my studio anytime.

To follow Stephen on social media or to contact him regarding his work click on any of the links highlighted in pink below.

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