An Interview with Brent Sheldon
A high-school Design Technician by day, Brent Sheldon is now better known in the Leeds area as the Armley Artist, spending his nights and weekends painting city murals and original canvases for charity auctions, most notably raising £27,000 for MND charities and the Rob Burrow Centre for MND.
‘The Embrace’, 2020
In January 2020, after attending the Rob Burrow/Jamie Jones-Buchanan fundraising game at Headingley Stadium, Brent Sheldon was moved to try and do something to help.
As a lifelong Leeds fan, Brent watched Burrow's whole career at the Rhinos. He'd given so much to the club and the fans and brought so much success, Brent felt it was the least he could do to try and raise funds for Burrow’s original appeal.
This led to a decision to paint an artwork of Rob Burrow making the break to score his most famous try against St.Helens in the 2011 Grand Final. An iconic moment for Leeds Rhinos.
Just as Brent started working on the painting the UK was plunged into the first lockdown of the pandemic, where everyone suddenly found themselves stuck at home for multiple weeks. And that’s when Brent Sheldon began his incredible creative vocation.
“It has been an amazing journey these last few years and I've met some really great people. I didn’t think my artwork would be so well received and it's great I can use my creative skills to make a difference.”- Brent Sheldon
Now in 2023, the accumulative value Brent Sheldon has raised by auctioning his originals and prints for MND charities and the Rob Burrow Centre for MND appeal is now a whopping £27,000 – with one sole painting selling for £10,000 at the Burrow Strictly Ball last March.
Sheldon’s work and reputation for incredible charity and fundraising in the Leeds area is gaining great esteem across the city and beyond, with his name hitting headlines and the incredible support of an ever-growing following of both art and sports fans alike.
Hi Brent! What are you working on at the moment?
I'm currently working on another canvas painting, it's a Rob Burrow montage piece that I've been commissioned to produce for a big MND fundraising event to be held at Headingley stadium in November. It will be auctioned off on the night to raise funds for MND charities.
What motivates you to create?
Over the last couple of years my main motivation has been to raise funds for MND charities through my paintings having been inspired by Rob Burrow & Kevin Sinfield.
In general, I've always been interested in Film & Music culture and have painted many artworks around this genre. I like iconic characters and also edgy, gritty characters from movies. I'm also a big fan of urban brutalism and have plans to create some works of this nature.
How has your style developed over time?
I think as I've gotten more experienced over time I've definitely become more free with my painting and the application of the paint to the canvas. I've learnt to work quicker in the early stages of a painting to avoid getting into a struggle with the detail and to focus on this in the latter stages.
Who are your biggest artistic influences?
Whilst studying Art history I was really influenced by the Pop Art movement, especially Warhol, Lichtenstein & Hockney. I have a wide range of influences from the classics such as Caravaggio, Vermeer, Matisse & Kahlo. More recently I love the work of Jonathan Yeo and Malcolm T. Liepke.
Is there a specific environment or material that's integral to your work?
I paint in acrylics and watercolours mainly because of the fast drying process which allows me to develop the work quicker and more suits my style.
What is a typical day like for you as an Artist?
My day job is a design technician in a high school so I tend to paint in the evenings and weekends where possible.
Describe your ideal working environment.
Lots of space and natural light and always music playing
What has been your favourite piece to create so far, and why?
I suppose my favourite piece so far would have to be a painting I did of Kevin Sinfield & Rob Burrow embracing at Rob's final ever game. It's an iconic moment and image and I managed to capture the detail in the faces really well. It's my most popular work and the actual painting itself sold at a big MND fundraising event for £10,000!
Any top tips for getting inspired?
I would encourage everyone to have a go at getting creative but start on a small scale and most definitely pick a subject matter that you love and are passionate about. It should be about what you feel and enjoying the process, there's no right and wrong in art.
Finally, if you could meet any other Artist past or present, who would it be and why?
I would love to meet David Hockney, I think his variety and volume of work is amazing. He talks with such passion about painting and is a big inspiration to us all.
Brent Sheldon’s work will be on sale at the next MND Charity Auction at Headingley Stadium this November.
Brent will also be one of the featured artists at Smart Gallery’s Autumn Exhibition ‘All About Urban’ from 23rd September - 31st October. You can find further details about the exhibition on our blog www.smartgallery.co.uk/news.