Sheffield born Stephen Coates was advised to forget about art at school. His teacher acknowledged his ability but suggested there was no future in the subject. Having spent 16 years in the music industry and another 16 years running his own sandwich business, Stephen finally disregarded his teachers advice and in April 2011 turned professional as an artist and art coach.

Stephen explains, Ten years ago I was a little disillusioned with life. Call it mid-life crisis if you like but I found myself thinking about what I was doing and what I was really good at. I hadn't drawn a picture or lifted a paint brush since I was a teenager. For some reason I decided to go out and get some drawing paper and pencils and soon realised that I still had it in me. At the same time I watched a series on television about watercolours and it was so inspiring that I rushed out and bought all that gear too. I got cracking, practised hard, framed some of my efforts and hung them in my sandwich shop. I was stunned, people actually liked them and parted with their cash. One of my customers said to me, I've been painting for years and I can't paint sky like that. I explained how it was done and she then asked me if I had considered teaching. That was the defining moment.

I was so excited about what I had discovered and how I had progressed that I felt I could help other people achieve the same. I designed a six week watercolour course and set up a purpose built teaching studio and invited people to attend. I was stunned by the positive response. My art lessons in Sheffield proved to be very popular and I have really enjoyed sharing my own enthusiasm with other people. I was invited to demonstrate at art group meetings which turned out to be very successful too.

Based in Sheffield my art presentations are stimulating, challenging, and educational. I have chosen 3 topics which I use for my art presentations and they are listed below for you to choose from. I use an easel, modern projector and other practical educational aids along with an invitation for members of the group to participate. I am able to travel anywhere in the North Midlands or North of England, weekdays or weekends, mornings, afternoons and evenings.

Reflections in Watercolour Engaging members of the group, we use practical teaching aids to examine reflections and how they behave. Demonstrating the use of the correct materials, techniques and tips to paint water and reflections effectively.

Science and Sky Examining the properties of watercolour and why artists find it a challenging medium to work with. Engaging members of the group to help resolve some common difficulties and demonstrating how important certain principals are to paint sky effectively.

Vision and Composition Examining our vision of the world, how our perceptions can be so different to reality and showing some stunning optical illusions to prove the point. Planning, perspective, colour selection and composition are all tackled in this tantalising presentation.