Pete McKee
July 2010ZANI – POP Art 2010
On June 5th 2010 Pete McKee opened his first Art Gallery in his home town of Sheffield. It was the beginning of the second chapter in the career of an artist who has quickly risen from art obscurity with his heart warming views on Northern Life. The gallery 'A Month Of Sundays' is a vessel for him to continue to spread the word of his work, work that has already reached such individuals as clothes designer Paul Smith, who asked Pete to decorate a scooter, which was the centre piece for his London store and also Noel Gallagher who asked him to decorate a 10 foot tall Gibson guitar for the Gibson Guitar Town Exhibition in 2007. Along with providing a number of poster designs for the massive Oasis outdoor summer shows in 2009, Pete provided prints for both of Noel's two night residency at The Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust earlier this year. Pete's art career started with his drawings of the then Trevor Francis squad in the long gone Sheffield Wednesday fanzine 'A View From The Eastbank'. It was through this fanzine that he got another chance to progress, when Sheffield Telegraph reporter Peter Markie used one of his pieces in an article, the artist called the reporter and thanked him and asked him if he needed anymore? A meeting was arranged between the two and Pete soon started to do regular contribution work for the Telegraph.
In 2004 Pete decided to make a push with his first love whilst continuing to work in a Sheffield factory. In 2007 he held his first London exhibition entitled 'Lost Weekends' which went on to show in New York. It was a huge success and off the back of that success Pete was handed commission work for Acme Studios to interpret characters from The Simpsons and Family Guy. From here on in he could concentrate on his future plans, projects and exhibitions.
During his earlier work Pete has covered a wide spectrum of subject matter in his work with heavy Northern influences. Youth Culture seems to be a recurring favourite (Teddy Boys, Mods, Punks, Casuals, and Goths) of the artist, as well as music (Hometown Heroes, The Human League, The Arctic Monkeys, Jarvis Cocker and Richard Hawley as well as The Beatles and the Northern Soul scene) and also some childhood favourites (Park Football, Choppers, Space Invaders, Fairgrounds and Costal Holidays) and least of all BOTH Sheffield Football teams.
Through his hard work ethic and what seemed almost yearly exhibitions Pete's work and reputation have got bigger. The change in his personal life does not seem to have affected him. He still finds time to play in his Ukulele band The Everly Pregnant Brothers across Sheffield and the North as well as continuing his contribution work with the Sheffield Telegraph
The appreciation for me comes from being a child of the 70's and the memories some of his simple yet charming work can generate of those times. I'm not an Art critic, I know nothing about Art. But I understand good Art is supposed to move you on many levels. Pete McKee's pictures do that for me in spades with their warmth and subtle humour. There is nothing stuffy or complex with his bold colours and simple message, people of any age and background can grasp and understand Pete's work and there I feel lies its appeal.
Open edition prints as well as limited edition prints are available to purchase from Pete's web site, along with books, the 2008, "22 Views of Sheffield" and more recent "Teenage Kicks" both books covering the artist's pieces of the same name. There are also a very special pair of Clarks Desert Boots, designed by the man himself for the 21st century Mod, these are available in limited number through Clarks
The Gallery "A Month of Sundays" is open Wednesday - Sunday 10am - 5.30pm and is located at 356 Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield, S11 8ZG.
© Words – Ian Park/ZANI
ZANI on FaceBook
More on ZANI
