I'm Nigel Spaven - born in 1962 and raised in sunny Seaton Carew, on the N.E. coast of England. Seaton is sandwiched between Hartlepool Marina and the Tees estuary and has a glorious, rambling golden beach. Behind Seaton is the ever-expanding Hartlepool. Tis lively and interesting - and worth a visit if you get the chance.
 
We also have a grand and colourful history - click here for an official guide to Hartlepool.

CAREER
After completing a City & Guilds apprenticeship in 1982, at Newcastle College of Art & Technology, I entered the printing trade as a compositor, using ancient, traditional typesetting methods which is now, sadly, a dying craft. I eventually moved on into the 21st century as graphic designer, using Mac computers and Adobe software.
An enormously diverse range of clients included: Local government departments, leisure and services industries, the utilities, local business community, national and international companies.

During that time I also utilized my artistic talent - producing cartoons and illustrations for magazines, brochures, programmes, christmas cards, calendars, posters, menus, catalogues, etc, etc. I left in the year 2000 to become a freelance artist.

COMMISSIONS TO DATE:
Hartelpool B.C. 
Middlesbrough B.C.
Stockton-on-Tees B.C.
South Tyneside Metropolitan B.C.
Redcar & Cleveland B.C.
The Customs House (South Shields)
BLAST programme
Stride Community Network (South Shields)
Tees Valley Housing Group
Metro Centre, Gateshead
Hartlepool Primary Care Trust
Teesside Play and Education Resource Centre
NDC (New Deal for Communities)
SPARC (Supporting Parents And Reciprocal Communication)
SureStart
Morrison Utility Services
Freudenburg
The Wildlife Trusts
Business Community and General Public.

I have produced mural work for community arts development projects in Schools, Colleges, Community Centres, Residents' Associations and Youth Inclusion Projects, developing communication and teamwork skills. 

Please peruse my portfolio. As you will see, my work covers a broad spectrum - from mural work to book illustration. I use traditional methods and also produce digital artwork using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. All digital artwork is supplied on disc as high resolution images, in a format suitable for your print requirements and web use. If you like what you see, feel free to e-mail me with your comments or commissions.