Steve O'Connell

As a child, Steve O'Connell loved to paint and draw and, from a young age, was always determined to be an artist. Born and brought up in Hackney, the son of hardworking Irish parents, Steve O'Connell was encouraged towards an artistic career by neither his family nor his school, where the Careers Officer advised him to join the army! Denied the opportunity to attend art school, he taught himself to draw and paint by working his way through artists' instruction manuals and training books from the local library. On leaving school at the age of 16, he secured a position as a trainee commercial artist but found the work unrewarding. Eventually, he left the company and obtained instead a stall at Covent Garden's art and craft market, where he sold primarily animal portraits and ballerina paintings, inspired by the fact that his girlfriend was a dancer. The ballet paintings in particular were a great success and secured his first publishing contract. Subsequently, Steve O'Connell has concentrated particularly on animal artwork and, especially, artwork depicting cats. Supported by an Enterprise Allowance Scheme, he established his own business, which has continued to go from strength to strength since its foundation in 2000.