Artist depicts city bomb
AN artist has created a striking image of Manchester 20 years after the IRA bomb.
Nic Stacey, 29, who lives in Bollington, painted the piece to commemorate two decades since the city was devastated.
He has now presented the work of art – titled ‘There is a light that never goes out’ – to his friend and Lord Mayor of Manchester Carl Austin-Behan, who will hang the painting in his office at the town hall.
The impressive piece depicts the city centre just hours after the bomb exploded and shows a lone firefighter assessing the scene.
Nic, who works as a hairdresser at La Belle in Cheadle, said: “It’s an important moment in the history of Manchester so I wanted to paint something to mark the anniversary.
“The painting looks down Cross Street towards the Royal Exchange and you can see Marks and Spencer on the right.
“It shows the devastation, the rubble left behind, the famous red post box and a firefighter looking at it all.
“When you examine the picture and see this rescue worker that’s the part that captures your emotions.
“Carl is a friend of mine so I’m donating the painting to him for the town hall. I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for Carl and I am extremely proud as both a Mancunian and a member of the gay community for the work he continues to do for both causes. He’s a real inspiration.
“That’s why I wanted to donate the painting to him and he thought it was a really lovely idea.”
Nic last hit the headlines when he created a tribute to the infamous New Year’s Eve photo published in the M.E.N.
Freelance photographer Joel Goodman’s iconic photograph of the city centre celebrations was lauded as a ‘Manchester masterpiece’ and compared to Renaissance art.
And Nic was quick to painstakingly recreate the image in acrylic on a giant three by four foot canvas.
Nic said he has always been inspired to paint striking images.
He said: “I was about 10 when the bomb hit Manchester and at the time I didn’t realise what a massive thing it was.
“The regeneration was part of my childhood and I think it helped to shape my life. I’ve always had a strange fascination with it.”