Manchester Artist And Brain Tumour Survivor Captures City's Rainswept Beauty

Lancashire-born Michael Ashcroft has a new exhibition of his oil paintings, which show Manchester in all its damp glory.

Michael Ashcroft had always enjoyed painting and admired Manchester's bright lights and vibrant streets – but after suffering a brain tumour aged 28, he started taking his hobby much more seriously.

Michael john Ashcroft

Now aged 45, an exhibition of this work – Reflections of Manchester – is to take place next month, collecting more than 15 years of his oil paintings of the city.

Ashcroft's tumour came two years after the 1996 IRA bomb which changed the face of the city centre – his paintings show both Manchester's new and old architectural styles.

Michael John Ashcroft

He lists his influences as John Constable, Edward Hopper, Lucien Freud and Mark Rothko.

He tells BuzzFeed: "The tumour made me realise what was important to me which was was doing something you love or something that you are interested in or wished that you had done but never had the chance."

Michael John Ashcroft

"Having the tumour gave me a second chance in a way to do something I had always dreamed about doing. Becoming an artist," he says.

Ashcrofts says painting helped him make a recovery: "The art was a kind of therapy in the beginning but I became passionate about it as the years went on."

Michael John Ashcroft

"I would think about art and painting every minute of the day, even at night I would have a sketch book at the side of my bed to note down any ideas I had."

Michael John Ashcroft.

"I will never stop painting, it's what I was meant to do."

Michael John Ashcroft

Ashcroft's 30-piece exhibition takes place at the Rosso restaurant on 9 October (which is now fully booked) and can be seen at the Colourfield Gallery in Poynton, Cheshire, from 11 to 23 October.