Saturday Interview: McCoo artist Steven Brown battled back from two heart attacks and depression to take art world by storm

Now the down-to-earth Ayrshire artist has carved a niche with his striking abstract paintings and vividly coloured McCoos, part of a range that has captured the interest of people across the world.

Less than two years after leaving his job in KFC, married father-of-three Mr Brown now heads an art business that includes a lifestyle store in Ayr, a gallery in Glasgow, an online presence in the US and a turnover of £22 million.

After taking up the brush again in earnest for the first time since school, he has found a new career and also a way to deal with mental health issues.

He said: "I took depression in between my first heart attack and my second heart attack, basically because I was just at the right age but because of the heart attack I felt really limited in what I could, and I took really bad depression.

"I was given these pills that produced drug-induced psychosis so basically it changed a chemical balance in my head and I was really at rock-bottom.

"I nearly actually gave up on the whole thing and felt as if I was giving up.

"Even starting Steven Brown Art I was right at the end of it.

"I went to the doctor and got the right pills eventually and started to feel a lot better but even with that drug-induced psychosis it was like every single day I was getting slightly better, but I had to watch what I was doing with stress and things like that."

He said: "When I was off work this was when the painting started.

"I had been talking about painting and doing it again.

"So Caroline (his wife) just brought in canvases and paints and I started doing it again."

• Read more: McCoo artist opens new gallery in Glasgow after £22m turnover in two years

Soon the paintings began to take more and more space in the council house where they still live in Irvine.

"I was doing abstracts, that is my first love, and was looking at what was out there and there was nothing vibrant, nothing bright, cheerful, make you happy art, it was all very dull and very morbid.

"So I looked at that and not really much thinking about it started to do pieces that made me happy, work that was very bright, was vibrant, good to look at."

He said: "I’m no van Gogh or a Picasso that’s for sure, and I don’t pretend to be that in any way, but I just do what I like for me and by Christ I think it was needed.

"I think what I did, especially with the animals, folk just latched onto and loved it.

"Very bright and very good to look at basically."

"What happened was, I had all these canvases sitting and Caroline said 'you’ll need to get shot of these we’ve got folk coming round for Christmas', and we’ve not got a big house at all."

That wasn't as easy as he first thought, however, and he admits he was "a very naive guy trying to sell his art to the art world.

"I didn’t have a clue.

"I got knocked back I don’t know how many times because I didn’t have degree, I was completely self-taught, or I didn't have this.

"I’m doing all these presentations to try and sell my art and eventually the one site, ArtGallery.co.uk, took me on."

He put a few pieces online at first, some photographs, prices and descriptions, and within days "that was it, they started selling".

"It got to the stage that every time I put a painting up it was selling for £50-£150 and they were being sold with two days.

"So I’m working at KFC and trying to have my wee website keep up with my art and it is going to Switzerland, it is going to Monaco.

"For me at that point it was just like 1wow, what’s going on'!"

He said: "I became more confident to try different things."

• Read more: Is that a McCoo? The battle for pride of place on the living room walls of Scottish homes

The McCoo creator has just opened a new gallery in Glasgow, his first premises outside Ayr, who in the same week saw his Oor Wullie and Big Tam McCoo sell to an unnamed buyer for £40,000.

With fans including Katie Price, Sam Bailey and Jai McDowall, since opening the Silverburn centre gallery he has sold works from the selection to the US, Canada and Australia.

"We are in America just now online.

"And we’ve got products going to the American site which will make it like the same as the lifestyle store in Ayr.

"It has taken a bit of time but we’ve opened a lot of things at the same time, with the gallery, a lot of focus on that, and then America.

"We still had the shop and online to deal with as well. We are trying to create new business with new art to reach different people, so we have a lot of things going on there."

He said that "north America is just about to boom" and next "to open up" is Australia.

He said that eBay are "creating an actual a shop for us, which doesn’t really happen".

"You’ve got to be pretty up there to get it.

"The art I’ve bought is Scott Naismith, a Scottish artist who uses a lot of colour in landscapes, I’ve got a couple of canvases from him, I’ve got Karen Strang, she is very much a sketcher.

"I’ve got a huge piece from Karen Gregory which is abstract as well.

"I’ve no space for it but I keep buying it."

• Read more: McCoo artist opens new gallery in Glasgow after £22m turnover in two years

The firm he runs with business partner Craig Bryson employs 53 people, and as well as the art the firm produces merchandise ranging from furniture to fittings.

More people are linked through supply firms and the company also has a close connection with a number of charity ventures, which includes working with mental health organisations such as Combat Stress, which helps veterans.

He said helping others in counselling "is the best thing I have ever done in my life".

"But basically the message is it shows you even when you hit rock bottom, the bottom of the barrel, and you don’t know what to do, you can turn it around."

He says of his own mental health: "I’m probably about 99 per cent of the way there.

"I still take my pills for depression and have tried a couple of times to reduce the pills but it is just not the right time yet.

"And getting people to understand that there’s a lot of people out there feeling the exact same way and you’ve just got to look at the way you feel and go and seek help."I am trying to promote that and say even if you’ve got depression you can still do what you want to do in life, even when your whole life stops and you’re thinking about suicide, you can turn it about."

• Read more: Is that a McCoo? The battle for pride of place on the living room walls of Scottish homes

Firmly ensconced in his Irvine home, the artist has no immediate plans to change his council tenant status as his social and professional position continue to ascend.

But the couple's love of cars has led to a modicum of self indulgence.

"At one time the big joke with our pals was that we stayed in council house but we had a Porsche and Bentley sitting outside.

"Me and Caroline are like big car enthusiasts.

"You know, working all the days in KFC and with three kids we always had a crappy car, and we’re not big on finance, so we always bought a car but had it for years and years and used to got the scrappy to get parts.

"But now when there’s that wee bit of money there ..."

The couple got rid of the Bentley for a Range Rover and the Porsche for a BMW i8.

"Even the neighbours find it funny."

But he says: "I am where I am and my feet are firmly on the ground.

"When people hear the story it clicks that I’ve worked just the same as they have all my days.

"I’m fighting the fight every day the heart attacks and depression the same as anybody else and folk just love the art.

"I am totally blessed."

SIX QUESTIONS ..................

What countries have you most enjoyed travelling to, for business or leisure, and why?

Loved Iceland - so much to see and do. The views are just breathtaking and the people are so welcoming.

When you were a child, what was your ideal job? Why did it appeal?

Art was always my passion, however, I always wanted to be a manager of somewhere I could add value to any business, I just knew that I’d be good at it.

What was your biggest break in business?

I would say when we managed to work with a company called Marvel Press. If it was not for them I don’t think we’d be in the same position today. The company closed but even today we work very closely with some of that team.

What was your worst moment in business?

When Marvel Press ceased trading we went with another printers firm. We thought they were great and offered fantastic products. Only four weeks into production we were selling a huge volume of products, they failed to support demand and we lost a huge amount loyal customers. A very tough time that we managed to survive. A lesson learned.

Who do you most admire and why?

Craig Bryson my business partner for his drive, positivity and energy. My wife Caroline for being so strong when I was in my darkest days. Gordon Ramsay for his passion on delivering excellence on food and the way his passion can be very contagious to many other people - fantastic skill set.

What book are you reading and what music are you listening to? What was the last film you saw?

Obviously I would have to say any of our Harris McCoo books, although I am not reading anything specific at the moment but when is come to music anything by the Beatles, Coldplay, 50s - 80s pop scene. Last film was A Few Good Men - Tom Cruise.

CV: Steven Brown attended Kilmarnock Academy and started his career in retail in a designer shop in Kilmarnock called Sporting Club, before taking on a sales role at River Island in Ayr and also working for a Piccadilly Fashions.

He then went in to the licensed trade as a manager in a variety of pubs and nightclubs including Craig Leisure, Ruby Tuesday's and Judy Chicago's.

He also held managerial roles at Pizza Hut for five years before further management posts at KFC for 15 years.