Visit The Great Sheffield Art Show in its 31st year​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ in the city

“I’m self-taught, so I've never had any lessons, I just started playing around with watercolours one day, and then moved on to acrylics for a while, before settling on oils, which is my medium of choice now," he explains.

This weekend, Leslie is one of a number of artists who will show their works at The Great Sheffield Art Show, which returns to the city for its 31st year.

The show is aimed at providing a prestigious venue for amateur artists to exhibit their artwork alongside professionals.

It was launched in 1988 by artist, Isabel Blincow MBE, created to provide a platform for artists in the city.

“I started exhibiting in the show in its 4th year, and have done it every year since – I've never missed,” says 80-year-old Leslie, who holds the proud title of The Great Sheffield Art show's best-selling artist, with numerous sales under his belt in nearly 30 years.

"I always exhibit the maximum number of pieces an artist can, which used to be five, but is now six," he explains.

“I usually sell two or three pieces a session.

“It's definitely just a hobby,” Leslie is quick to interject, insisting even after all these years that he still considers himself to be an amateur artist.

“I have lots of hobbies, from birdwatching to photography, things I enjoy doing and that keep me busy, but I do get a great deal of pleasure from painting.

"I tend to spend around 40 hours on a painting, and the longest I've ever spent on one piece is 65 hours.

“I love painting landscapes, seascapes, birds, anything and everything really.

“I even went through a period of painting old Sheffield trams.”

Speaking about The Great Sheffield Art Show, which opens in the city this morning, Leslie adds: “It's a great thing to be involved in each year.

“It’s nice to show your pictures, and it's also nice to meet the other artists and share your experiences and interests and to get new ideas.

"I'll be attending the show over the weekend, and will be stewarding on Saturday morning, so I look forward to chatting to people about the show, and about the art on offer.”

Around 1,000 people each day are expected to attend the show this Saturday and Sunday which, in recent years, has been held at The Millennium Gallery, on Arundel Gate in Sheffield.

An incredible 864 original works of art will be displayed throughout the weekend.

Every piece of art on display will be available to purchase.

Out of the 204 artists exhibiting this year, travelling to the city from as far away as Kent, 81 are taking part in The Great Sheffield Art Show for the first time.

The Great Sheffield Art show organiser, Catriona Lister, who also runs Enormous Art Ltd, said: “Our aim with The Great Sheffield Art Show has always been to encourage and promote new artists and to keep the show fresh.

“For this reason, we're absolutely delighted by the number of new artists that are taking part this year.

“We're also delighted to be returning to The Millennium Gallery, which has become our new home in recent years.

“The show, for many years, was originally held at the Octagon Centre at the University of Sheffield, which was terrific, but there's something really special about being in a real gallery setting for this now.

“Millennium Gallery is a superb, and prestigious venue, with two exhibition spaces that can accommodate over 900 artworks and 240 artists, with excellent display stands of neutral grey designed to display work to its absolute best advantage.

“The show continues to grow each and every year, and now - in my third year as organiser - it's wonderful to see how people treat the show differently now in its new setting.

“We see people show up for the exhibition, and they walk around and look at the pictures with more reverence than ever before, and with such appreciation for the work, in this beautiful venue.

“We've seen such a massive increase in visitors numbers too since we came to The Millennium Gallery, in its fantastic city centre location, and an increase in picture sales too for our artists, which is absolutely brilliant."

The Great Sheffield Art Show launched yesterday evening at a special preview night, which saw the event officially opened by art legend Joe Scarborough.

This year for the first time, a calendar for 2020 has been produced using original works of art from this year’s show.

The new calendar features 12 pictures from a variety of exhibiting artists, showing off a wide range of styles and mediums, and will be available for people to buy this weekend.

There will also be five Trade Stands at the show, featuring Wood Turner Bryan Munsey, Oils by John Paul Cooke, Pastels by Sandra Orme, and Watercolours by Stephen Coates and Liz Wensley.

There will also be, as is traditional, a themed competition at this year's show.

The subject for 2019 is Places of Worship and the competition is being judged by professor of philosophy at The University of Sheffield Chris Bennett.

There will be a chance for those visiting the show to vote for the Best in Show.

Prize-giving will take place on Sunday at 3pm, and will be attended by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield.

Catriona added: “It costs £5 to enter the show, and £4 for concessions, with children going free.

“Those entering the show will receive a hand-stamp, meaning they can come and go as much as they want during the course of the day.

“We recognise that 864 pictures is a lot to take in all at once, it's quite an overload, so we've made it possible for people to come and have a browse, go away and do some shopping, or get some lunch, and then return.

“As well as the art on display, there will be demonstrations running throughout both days in the art room, for people who'd like to go and see artists painting with watercolours, drawing with pastels, or sketching, and this is all built into the price of the ticket too, so it really is very good value for money.

“At the end of their visit, people can choose to buy a painting to take home with them. We sell about 15 per cent of all the art displayed, which I believe is above average for a show like this.

The exhibition will also feature the prize winners for The Young Painter of the Year competition organised by the Rotary Club’s Abbeydale division, and sponsored by the Great Sheffield Art Show.

Catriona, who is one of a committee of volunteers that comes together each year to organise and put on The Great Sheffield Art Show, added: “We've got all ages and all mediums represented at the show, which is fantastic to see.

“It really is a great mix of people, of styles, and of local talent, which is what this is all about.”

Lucy Tully from Museums Sheffield said: “We are delighted to be hosting the Great Sheffield Art Show for the third year running.

“We believe that art should be available to everyone and this event gives people in Sheffield and beyond a chance to buy original works of art at an affordable price, while giving many talented artists a means to reach a wide audience.”

The Great Sheffield Art Show will run from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. All are welcome to attend.