Rag & Bone Man

David Coulter may have earned his living painting radiators but it is his paintings of Manchester street scenes that is propelling him to stardom in the art world. The 63-year-old grandfather of three has created more than 500 pictures of his home town and following his first exhibition of scenes from the city centre, huge interest arose among art lovers who are now clamouring to buy his canvasses.

David, who grew up in Chorlton-on-Medlock, has been restoring and painting radiators from building reclamations for almost 50 years, but in his spare time he takes his easel around Manchester, particularly Oxford Road, Portland Street and St Peter’s Square, to capture the city in oil and acrylic paint. After painting for years as a hobby, David began to take his work more seriously after he had two heart attacks and doctors told him to take life easier.

‘I’ve been going out for years sketching and painting the city because I absolutely love it and it helps me calm down. Manchester is a fantastic place and I want my pictures to show people what they might have missed as they go past the same places every day. I like to call my style of painting “Manchester impressionistic”. I think the city comes to life with a bit of rain – it makes it look a bit grittier and I try to capture the reflections and the people around me.’

Despite his love for Manchester, David lives just over the border in Prestwich, where he moved with his wife Marilyn 20 years ago, but David says he still prefers to paint Manchester as it has more historic buildings and is where he grew up.