"I was a bit worried that not many would turn up.''

To say his fears were unfounded is an understatement.

Even 40 minutes before the scheduled opening of his new 22 Views of Sheffield exhibition at The Bowery in Devonshire Street there is a fair scattering of fans checking out Upstairs at Harrington's et al. And those early arrivals were the lucky ones. Within half an hour the place was jammed, with queues outside, and the chances of getting a close look at McKee's evocative views of his home city were on a par with the prospects of a refill from the bar.

Not that any of that was worrying the man of the moment. "What a fantastic night,'' he said. "I'm always amazed that so many would turn out on a cold winter night to see what I've painted.''

And therein lies at least part of the secret of McKee's success… he's a nice bloke who does great paintings.

He also treats everyone the same way, be that Arctic Monkey Alex Turner, Richard Hawley, fellow artist Joe Scarborough or any of the hundreds of others who packed The Bowery ahead of the exhibition proper, which runs until December 23 and is also showing at Totley's Cricket Inn.

And that genuine approach appears to be paying off. By the end of Sunday evening the boy from Batemoor had sold 12 of the 22 originals, more than 40 limited edition prints and the complete 200 run of his Posh Book, featuring all 22 paintings from the collection.

Then there's the small matter of around 20 commissions to be completed in time for Christmas. "It's going to be pretty busy,'' he says, "but I'm loving every minute of it. All being well, we're hoping to take a week off after Christmas and go somewhere warm…''

As I recall, it used to get pretty warm Upstairs at Harrington's.

Pete McKee will be signing softback versions of his book, priced at £20, at The Star Shop, York Street, on Friday December 5, noon-2pm. Signed copies can also be pre-ordered by calling 0114 2521374.

For more information on the remaining originals, limited edition prints, canvasses and softback versions of the book, go to www.therealmckee.o.uk






What do you think? Add your comments below

MORE:
Local News
Local Sport
Arts Guide
Listings Guide
Restaurant Guide
Letters