Tim Shorten was born in Bolton, Lancs. He studied at Bolton College of Art & Design, Preston Polytechnic Department of Fine Art (now UCLan), and Leeds Polytechnic (Leeds Beckett University). He was Head of Art and Design at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys in Cheshire until 2017, and is now a full-time painter.
He currently works in association with the Acorn Gallery, Pocklington, North Yorkshire, and with Bailey Arts in Crewe. Works are also available from other carefully selected galleries around the UK.
“ Most children, when asked the question ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ either haven’t a clue, or say something different each time they are asked. I was one of the lucky ones: I knew what I wanted to be, every time, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have been able to do it. Whilst my themes and subject matter have metamorphosed over the years, my commitment to representation, and to the exploration of human relationships, remains as strong now as it did as an undergraduate in the 1970s.
I choose the word ‘representation’ with care, though even this is not really adequate. The word ‘realism’ is bandied about carelessly – and I have taken part in shows which have included that term in their title – yet the images which I create are, ironically, more about fiction than reality. The places depicted don’t exist, and the episodes portray moments which exist only in my imagination and which never occurred in the real world. What I try to do, rather like the novelist, playwright or film maker, is to present my fabrication with such conviction as to make the viewer believe in it.” Tim Shorten
