Growing up, Steven Allen had a love for the coast. He still remembers the very first time he saw the shoreline during a family trip to Cornwall.
Aged seven, Steven recalled sitting in a pub with his family, admiring a mirror made out of driftwood that stood proudly on the wall. He couldn't believe that someone could take something so average and turn it into a piece of art – little did he know that one day he would be doing it for a living.
It all started when Steven created a quirky gift for his girlfriend. The now 46-year-old wanted to give her something different, yet romantic, and came up with the idea of a pinewood heart.
He carved, drilled and wired the sentimental present with love – which his partner displayed happily in her room. After welcoming showers of compliments about his creation, Steven wondered what else he could craft out of wood.
Seven years down the line, Steven found himself making lots of weird and wonderful creations. He would collect driftwood during surf trips to Cornwall, Anglesey or small Welsh beaches and bring them back to his Burton home.
When he wasn't working at his job at JCB insurance, he would use every moment he had to create his art – whether it be clocks, mirrors, paintings or more.
Over time, Steven built up enough commissions and money to allow him to leave his job in September this year and make art for a living. He called himself the 'Driftwood Artisan'.
"Some people would say it's brave, others would say it's stupid," he said.
"But I'd seen enough feedback to see that there was an interest in my work and to see that there was a market for it. If you don't try, you'll never know."
"For me, it's a really original idea. I love the smiles it brings to people's faces."
Steven said the inspiration for his work comes from what he would like in his own home. Typically he would paint on a canvas first, usually the backdrop of a coastal seaside, and then build up the driftwood on top of the canvas to create a 3D-like painting.
Mostly inspired by events and day-to-day life, Steven creates whatever comes to him. The aftermath of devastating Storm Ophelia prompted him to create a washed up, stormy looking sea with small pieces of driftwood floating towards the bottom of the canvas, fittingly named 'Storm'.
During the week, Steven spends long hours building up a collection of artwork to take to numerous festivals or art fairs on the weekends, where he produces the majority of his earnings.
He said: "I'm so proud that I can bring joy to people, and that they want to buy something off me that I've created.
"I'm just over the moon. There's an expression that says, 'find something you do for a job that you love and you'll never work another day in your life', and I think that would sum me up.
"I especially love doing weddings. It's so special when someone is trusting you to make something for their big day."
Steven's inspiration also comes down to his love of recycling. Rather than taking something to the landfill, he wondered what he could turn it into instead. He is currently in the process of turning old milk cartons into a lamp, and has previously transformed an old tumble drier drum into a coffee table and a storage unit.
"I can't stand here and say to you that I did A-level art," he said. "I couldn't and don't tell people I'm an artist.
"An artisan makes things instead of purely painting and drawing. The difference with me is that I'm trying to bring work to life to give impact and capture people's imagination; people say I'm quirky, which I love.
"I know it isn't the highest paying job, but if I'm bringing sunshine into someone's house, that’s a winner for me."
Steven is due to return to Burton on November 4 with his stall in the Octagon shopping centre. He is then set to display his stall at the Christmas markets in Nottingham, Lichfield, Stratford and Matlock.
