Jeff Birkbeck was born in Blackburn in 1972 and has lived in Lancashire for most of his life. He studied Art & Design at Blackburn College and worked as a metallurgist in Preston for three years, before becoming a professional car sprayer for the family business. This is where he first began to use acrylic on steel in his artwork. Jeff explains, "I have been working with steel for the last 7 years and find it a versatile & exciting material to use on its own or with paint."

People love and respond to the fact that his work is a fusion between artistic talent and a trade. He seems to have an instinctive eye for composition, displaying a strong visual awareness and sense of scale and proportion. This free and derestricted manner of working is very impressive and the resulting works are always finished to a high specification. They are large-scale, high-impact, well-balanced, shiny, aesthetically pleasing objects that have a real sense of purpose. Jeff comments, "...my overriding aim is to create something that is exciting to look at using the discarded materials I find in the workshop"

The simplicity of this aim shows that there is no pretence about his intentions. An interesting aspect of his work is that the materials he uses are recycled. He only uses recycled steel, scrap metal, old paints, faulty mixes & paints without labels. His desire and ability to make something of beauty from these unwanted materials shows resourcefulness and ingenuity.

"Jeff's art is unavoidably strong, intriguing and visionary. With titles such as 'Brave New World', 'Liquid Steel', 'Virus', 'Amatol', 'Sahara', 'Nebula' and 'Venom', Jeff is aware of the semiotics at work. His artwork is exciting, explosive, ecological, geological, geographical, elemental, microbiological, universal, and compellingly futuristic."

Phil Harwood, Director, Ascot Studios