STEPHEN SMITH was born in Colwall (a small Herefordshire village at the foot of the Malvern Hills) and went to school in Ledbury. He left school in 1968 and moved to Malvern, joining the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company as a trainee artist. He served his apprenticeship under Ted Townsend, learning the art of freehand painting and took A level Art while on day release. He has, therefore, almost forty years experience in this craft. He lives in Worcester with his wife, Jane, and son Alex.

Steve says that painting would be a hobby if he didn't paint for a living! When not painting, he likes making and repairing things in metal and wood and is handy with D.I.Y. and car maintenance. He is an avid listener to music and loves the radio, especially Radio 4 and Classic FM.

In 1991, as a result of a chance phone call, he embarked on a slight change of direction by joining Kingsley Enamels. When this company became Moorcroft Enamels in 1998 he continued to be employed as a designer and artist, specialising in limited editions of premium pieces, but also undertook the training of other artists. He quickly acquired a loyal following of collectors throughout the world who admired both the outstanding quality of his work and his remarkable ability to paint the inside of vases as well as the outside, a technique that he developed (for the background to this see ....ROBINS).

In March 2006 W. Moorcroft plc decided to close Moorcroft Enamels and make all its artists redundant. It was at this juncture that Stephen felt he should become a free-lance ceramic artist and establish his own business. He made a conscious decision not to paint on copper but to return to his first love of painting on china. Although using essentially the same materials and techniques, he feels that china is more vibrant, allows for more subtle effects because it is a better surface to paint on and has a more stable finish.

Along with Terry Halloran, he has embarked on a new phase in his career, producing small limited editions ofchina for sale through a few selected retailers, who are eager to take his pieces knowing the guaranteed quality on offer. Many of the miniature pieces of china have been designed and made specifically for Steve and Terry. Although he has painted many large pieces of china in the past, there is no doubt that miniature vases and boxes are proving extremely popular, not only with those who know his enamel work but also with people seeing his work for the first time. He is no longer restricted by the need to paint to a low fixed price and is able to create the quality of work that will both satisfy his own artistic standards and delight purchasers with its beauty and value. He feels he is now creating the best work of his long career.

Eric Knowles, a leading ceramics expert and of "Antiques Roadshow" fame, has described his work as "remarkable, breathtaking and talent with a capital T". At the Collectors' Club show at Peterborough in November 2008 Eric was so enthralled with the inside-outside pieces on china that he kept bringing his colleagues and other experts to the stand to make sure they had seen them. He is photographed left at the show with Steve's wife Jane and son Alex.

Steve is applying the inside-outside technique to china and is bringing about a quiet revolution in this ancient craft, creating renewed interest in the medium. It is probably true to say that Steve and Terry's pieces are unique and in a style that has never been seen before on china during the many centuries that hand painted china has been produced. This is because their designs are modern, incredibly detailed and on miniature pieces rather than the traditionally large and ornate china used by classic manufacturers, but, above all, it is because both surfaces are fully painted.

 

Stephen has undertaken many varied and unusual commissions during his working life and is willing to tackle any subject (...well almost any!). In the early 1980's he painted a vase for the racehorse trainer Jenny Pitman that featured two of her best known horses, Corbiere (the 1983 Grand National winner) and Burrough Hill Lad.

While working for Kingsley Enamels he was asked to produce several Lonsdale boxing belts (presented to the champion in each British weight division) when the usual artist became ill. Each belt had a central enamel with a portrait of Lord Lonsdale and enamels on the side showing boxers fighting. The enamels were painted on silver and each belt was worth several thousand pounds even in those days. A new belt became necessary as the boxer retained it if he successfully defended the title twice.