Colliery picture wins Newport OAP top prize (From South Wales Argus)

Colliery picture wins Newport OAP top prize

7:20pm Thursday 14th March 2013 in Gwent news

A PENSIONER beat thousands of elderly people to win a coveted art award.

Steve Stephens, 90, of Newport, won the award for his image of a shift coming off duty at Ty Trist Colliery in Tredegar, South Wales, produced using a technique called decoupage.

The technique was used to make a 3D picture, and it beat 1,800 other pensioners in the annual competition’s 17th year.

The national competition continues to encourage and celebrate the talents of elderly people living in care homes, whose ages range from 60 to 100.

Steve, who has been painting for 15 years, lives in Abbeyfield Glengarif care home, Newport. He applied the technique to a photo of a colliery that he played in as a child, taken 20 years ago by his cousin.

Steve used to paint but has not picked up a paint brush in two years, as age has taken its toll and his hand shakes too much for him to hold a paint brush steadily.

He said: “My hand shakes too much to do paintings now but I still do pastel drawing, as my hand is in direct contact with the page.

“I’ve already started on a decoupage piece for next year’s competition, based on a spring view.”

Steve has been presented with a £125 cheque for his achievement and already knows how he is going to spend it.

He said: “I’m going to split the money with my cousin who took the photo on which my work is based.

“I will spend the rest on a printer for my computer.

“These days I produce a lot of posters for another care home.”

The award follows the highly commended picture Blue Iceberg which he submitted to EAC 10 years ago.