Brian Sefton graduated with a degree in Fine Art from King's College, Newcastle (then part of the University of Durham) in 1960. After three years teaching in secondary schools in Gateshead and Newcastle, he moved first to the College of Art and Industrial Design in Newcastle and then to the College of Art in Sunderland. The College subsequently became part of Sunderland Polytechnic and later the University of Sunderland. He is now retired but continues to teach at the University on a part-time basis.

Brian has has exhibited widely and has work in both public and private collections in this country and abroad. The mainstream of his work explores ideas about conflict inspired by events such as the Gulf War or continuing tension in Ireland. Another 'holiday' strand employs the medium of pastel to express the dramatic light of early morning on the cliffs of South Devon near Hope Cove. He has, however, enjoyed a long standing interest in the steam locomotive which now provides an important third string to his bow.

This interest began in the early 1950s in and around Bradford and Leeds with occasional forays to York and guided 'shed bashing' trips farther afield. 'O' and 'A' levels, a four year degree course, a job, a marriage and a new family pushed this interest into the background for many years by which time Dr Beeching had done his dirty work and everyday steam operation in the UK had vanished forever. But Brian's interest was revived in 1975 by the great Shildon Cavalcade and every opportunity was taken to visit preservation sites.

The Tanfield Railway at the nearby village of Marley Hill was in its infancy then but provided an accessible location for drawing only a little more than a mile away from his home. The Tanfield Railway's collection is one of industrial locomotives but an overheard description of the Marley Hill site at that time as "the Barry of the North" led to a pilgrimage to what others had already discovered to be an extraordinary treasure trove of railway history. From 1986 to the present day, Barry continues to enthuse and inspire the artist. The first hours of every day are almost ritually devoted to the production of paintings which attempt to recapture something of the sense of awe and nostalgia for a great British invention.

All text and images copyright © Brian Sefton/BlackFive 2000. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.