Denise Welch’s husband is selling paintings at more than £1 million each…but he says the best thing in his life is his TV star wife.
Lincoln Townley hailed the Loose Women star’s steadying influence after he sold a £5million haul of art at the posh La Bienale exhibition in Venice.
The couple met in London’s Soho when both were still drinking, and partying, but Lincoln credits the 61-year-old Soldier Soldier actress with helping him get sober and become one of Britain’s most prized artists.
He told the Sunday Mirror: “Drinking never brought anything good into my life except for Denise.
“We got to a point where we knew the best way to do it was to embrace sobriety together and we are here today
“We did it together and said this is the way we are going to move forward. The power of two I suppose.
Lincoln, hailed ‘the next Andy Warhol’ by actor Michael Cain, said drink left him in “a very bad place”.
“I don’t think I would have been here if I hadn’t stopped drinking. I was in a very bad place,” he reveals.
(Image: David Rose/REX/Shutterstock)
“We have known each other through a very dark time and we wanted to create something out of what we had, and here we are and we’re both very happy, and that’s the way it works for us.”
The art world has a lot of temptations but Lincoln says he finds it easy to stay on the wagon as he and Denise enjoy the peace and quiet of Cheshire where they share a home.
He’s also busy getting ready to for a trip to Los Angeles as a resident artist of Bafta to paint three A-List honorees.
“It’s not hard to stay sober,” he says. “We’ve got so much going on and so many positive things, we don’t think about it.
“We work out and look after ourselves because we want to sustain what we’ve got. Denise has got some exciting projects coming up on TV and we are both in a good place and looking forward to enjoying the sunshine in LA.”
Lincoln is known for his portraits of Hollywood stars and has painted nearly every famous face from the Queen to Samuel L Jackson and Meryl Streep.
(Image: Lincoln Townley)
(Image: Lincoln Townley)
A portrait takes him two weeks to complete and commissions start from £300,000. He was taught to paint by his grandfather, and never went to art school but refused to let a lack of formal training hold him back.
“We came from very humble beginnings. I left school at 15 and needed to get out and make some money and work. I didn’t have the opportunity to go to art school or anything and I am really glad I didn’t because I don’t think that I’d paint the way that I do.
“When I started out no one would tell me anything, you have to learn it yourself which is the best way.
“What I find incredible is that progression has happened so quickly. Grit and determination and hard work.
“Seven years ago no one wanted my art and now I’ve got agents all over the world and galleries screaming for my work all the time but I just can’t paint fast enough.”
(Image: David Rose/REX/Shutterstock)
(Image: Lincoln Townley)
Lincoln has no desire for accolades from the art world, which he feels is too set in its ways.
“A lot of artists want to be accepted by the Royal Academy but I feel that is the worse thing that can happen to any artist.
“I wouldn’t want to be accepted by the art world – it is far too set in its ways and I like the flexibility of being a maverick.
“The Royal Academy moves you into this realm that you need to be working the way they want you to work and that is the worst thing that can happen to anybody. I use social media to develop my connections with buyers, I am a marketing machine.
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“If I went that route I would absolutely not have had this success because they teach you the things you don’t need to know.
“They tell you don’t think about money but think about the art but I think the two go hand in hand.
“Artists should be able to sustain their lifestyle, therefore they should be able to think about the money. The RA can say what they like but it doesn’t bother me.”
