Born in Beverley, North Humberside in 1949, Steven Dews has risen from a boy who failed his art 'A' level and who was told that fame usually comes only after an artist has died, to become one of Britain's more sought-after living marine artist.

Steven Dews can remember drawing his first picture of a boat aged about 5 when he and his two brothers would visit their grandfather, who was then Assistant Dockmaster at the Hull Docks. The boys were brought up on a tradition of the sea, the family being able to trace their nautical connections back to the seventeenth century.

When they grew up, Steven’s two brothers both followed seafaring careers but Steven, who had been turned down by various naval institutions, settled for Hull Re...