Artist brushes up on history; Former welder has a new career - capturing our past

Byline: LINDA RICHARDS

The display can be seen in the historic towers which were designed and built by leading stained glass master craftsman and manufacturer William Wailes in 1859 for his family.In the background can be seen the new concrete bridge which was opened by Princess Diana in 1984.One of those was quite unusual."I still love painting and I hope this exhibition is an inspiration to other artists to exhibit their work," he added.Jeffrey works in an attic studio at his home in Bensham, Gateshead, and spends more than 100 painstaking hours working on each of his paintings.There's even his own version of the Battle of Trafalgar and a large frieze of the old Redheugh Bridge being dismantled in the 1980s."I hope people enjoy looking at them and perhaps they will give other people inspiration to take up painting," said Jeffrey, who first dipped his brush in the oils as a lad of 14."A guy who goes to all the James Bond conventions asked me to do a portrait of five James Bonds - Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosman. He said he was going to try and get it signed by each of them. He rang me to say George Lazenby had signed it but I don't know if the others did or what he did with it.""I used to watch him, then my mother bought me my first set of oil paints at 14. One of the teachers at school noticed that I was quite talented and they put me forward for doing the murals for the school plays. And I progressed from there.""There's something to suit everyone's tastes," said the dadof-two and granddad. "Portraits, floral studies, local scenes, wildlife and cartoons."CAPTION(S):They're joined by former US president John F Kennedy in a display fused by the retired welder. The show, which runs throughout August, features a mix of 37 paintings lovingly created by the 66-year-old.For his portraits of famous folk and wildlife scenes, he welds together ideas from numerous photographs, then puts his own stamp on them.Perched on the riverside, Jeffrey spent days taking sketches of the dismantling operation, then used them as a template to create an oil painting.ICONS Jeffrey Stamp's paintings of Marilyn Monroe, John F, Kennedy and John Wayne ART AND SOUL Jeffrey Stamp at Saltwell Towers in Gateshead's Saltwell Park. His work is on show thereHe's exhibited around the North East and often does bespoke commissions."My dad was very good at sketching and that's what started me off," he said.IDOLS from the silver screen's golden age star alongside Tyneside's past in a new exhibition.Images of John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe have been captured by artist Jeffrey Stamp. They grace the walls of Saltwell Towers in Gateshead's Saltwell Park.

ICONS Jeffrey Stamp's paintings of Marilyn Monroe, John F, Kennedy and John Wayne ART AND SOUL Jeffrey Stamp at Saltwell Towers in Gateshead's Saltwell Park. His work is on show there