Dorothy Steel, who lived and worked in Gourock, Skelmorlie and Largs, would have been 100 in 2027.
Dorothy, who passed away in October 2002, was a member of Greenock Art Club and took much of her inspiration from Port Glasgow, Greenock, Gourock and the Clyde.
Four of her paintings – Shipyard Sunset, Port Glasgow; The Glen, Port Glasgow; The Rear of Chalmers Street, Greenock; and Moonlight, Gourock – are held in the Watt Institution’s collection.
Dorothy’s niece, Shiona Cant, and her family are now compiling a website dedicated to her life and work and hope to uncover stories, memories and details from those who met or worked with her.
A former student of the Glasgow School of Art, Dorothy devoted much of her career to painting scenes of Clyde life – from the shipyards and bustling back streets to the tenements that once defined the area. Her work captured the character and resilience of a community that has largely disappeared.
Dorothy was also a close friend of acclaimed artist and fellow GSA student Joan Eardley, who was known for her evocative portraits of children from Glasgow’s tenements.
The two women shared a deep interest in portraying working-class life with honesty and compassion.
While Dorothy suffered a stroke in 1978, her determination to paint was so great she taught herself to paint again with her left hand, and she continued to paint and exhibit locally until her death
As her centenary approaches, her family hopes to celebrate her artistic contribution and preserve her legacy for future generations.
Anyone who knew Dorothy between the 1950s and her later years, or who has information, photos or stories to share about her life and work, is asked to get in touch with her niece Shiona Cant at johnandshionacant@gmail.com.
One of Dorothy’s Clyde shipyard scenes has already reached a national audience when it featured on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow in 2024, after a Scottish couple brought in a painting they had picked up in a local charity shop for just £5.
Filmed at Pollok Country Park in Glasgow, the segment saw art specialist Frances Christie describe the work as “really exciting” and “one of the best” examples she had seen by the artist.
The expert praised its soft, impressionistic handling of light, its depiction of dockside tenements and cranes, and its value as a record of a part of the Clyde that has now changed beyond recognition.
She went on to say that Dorothy “should be so much more well known than she is”, and suggested the painting could fetch between £3,000 and £5,000 at auction, underlining the growing appreciation of Dorothy’s work and the significance of efforts to document her life and career as her centenary approaches.
The McLean Museum and Art Gallery hosted two exhibitions of Dorothy’s work, in 1973 and 1983, the latter alongside a display of work by ‘The Glasgow Boys’.
