About Shane

I'm originally from Folkestone, and after university and living abroad I eventually settled back in my hometown.

I am a professional painter. In 2005 I opened my art gallery - Shane Record Paintings and Prints - in Folkestone’s Old High Street, and became a tenant of the Creative Foundation – a charity spearheaded by former Saga boss Roger De Haan that aims to regenerate Folkestone’s Old Town by renovating properties, flats and studios and letting them to largely ‘creative’ tenants. It has become very important for me to be part of Folkestone’s change.

I paint with oils and a palette knife and find the local scenery an inspiration. The coastal light and clear air along with the town’s natural assets such as the harbour, the Leas, the coastal path and some of the town’s architecture provide plenty of painting material. Folkestone is surrounded by lovely countryside; the South Downs, Elham Valley, Alkham Valley and Romney Marsh, which enables me to paint a wide variety of subjects.

I paint in the gallery and try to engage with members of the public. I try and make the gallery as friendly as possible because sometimes I feel people can be a little intimidated by galleries, by their perceived pretentiousness and seriousness. I also try to demonstrate that art can have a positive impact on its surrounding environment. I try through my work to get people to re-evaluate the town they live in by showing it to them in a different light. I also get involved with many local projects, and give talks, workshops  and visit schools. The most prominent of these activities is that I am a fundraiser and trustee of a local charity called The Church Street Project (www.churchstreetproject.co.uk) which provides Creative Therapy and Therapeutic Counselling to children in Shepway. The unit helps children with (usually) problems at home address their problems through art and creativity as a stepping stone towards verbal counselling and helps children resistant to learning at school because of being plagued by emotional difficulties. The unit helps over 100 children every year.

To this end I run the Folkestone Sandcastle Competition every year (one of the unit’s resources is a sand tray which makes this fundraising activity particularly apt), which raises the profile of the charity and has grown every year. This year 45 teams took part! In September I am cycling from John O’Groats to Folkestone (“Destination Folkestone!”) and painting along the way to raise more funds for the charity (I will be auctioning off the work on my return – for more information visit my website www.shanerecord.com).

Folkestone is changing and change is driven by public support. Come and say hello!