A Clydebank man has told of how he transformed his life from partying most weekends to pursuing his dream career in art.

Stevie Nicholson began studying Art & Design at Anniesland College twelve years ago after feeling ‘unsettled’ with his life.

The 39-year-old from Drumry told the Post that at that time he was in and out of jobs and spent most weekends drinking and partying.

Clydebank Post: Now, Stevie has a degree in Contemporary Art and says his love for painting “improved his life massively”.

Stevie said: “I used to do art in high school but I fell away from it for a bit. It wasn’t until about twelve years ago that I started to take it seriously.

“That’s when I went to Anniesland College to study Art & Design at foundation level. At that time, my life was very up and down.

“I was out drinking a lot on the weekends and I was in and out of part time jobs, I just wasn’t very settled.

“I was looking for something to take interest in so I thought ‘I’ll go for the art course’ and it kickstarted my focus and got me really interested.

“It’s improved my life massively. When I used to go out and party at the weekends I didn’t have any focus in life, nothing to keep me busy.

“Art gave me something to focus on. Once I started going to college I prioritised that over a lot of things in my life.

“It just took over my life from there.”

Stevie spent four years at Anniesland College before going on to complete a HNC and HND in Contemporary Art Practise at City of Glasgow College where he graduated in 2017.

He explained that he is “chasing his dream career” and hopes to become a full-time artist in the future.

The talented 39-year-old describes his painting style as contemporary portraiture, always featuring bright and vibrant colours.

Stevie, who works part-time in retail, currently has a variety of his oil paintings on display in the window of Bright House at Clyde Shopping Centre.  

He added: “I saw a poster in the shopping centre about something called ‘Artist’s Window’. It basically allows artists to display their work for an eight week period in old retail shops that have been empty for a while.

“It brings them to life and brightens up the space. Having my art on display in my home town is a real buzz.

“I’ve lived here all my life and as an artist it can be hard to come across opportunities locally to show off your work.

“So this is just fantastic. I always say to people ‘I’m chasing my dream, one day I’ll become a full-time artist’.

“When I get into the studio I forget about all the stresses and trouble in my life, painting is really relaxing.

“Since I started art my life has just changed, there’s so much positivity happening now and it’s just been brilliant.

“It’s come at the right time.”