Stewart Walker bounces on to the video call, a riot of beads, safety pins and attitude.
The artist and former chef, known to all as Stewy, had a stroke a year ago and his speech is severely affected. But coming through the screen loud and clear – all the way from Banff – is Stewy’s punk vibe.
“I’m not the most technical guy,” he says when he appears, an appropriately punk 30 minutes late because problems we had in setting up the call. “But here we go.”
I’m talking to Stewy, who formerly ran the Zanzibar restaurant in Inverness, about his fantastic artwork, which also oozes energy and vibrancy.
Like its creator, there is liberal use of colour, and a splash of anti-authoritarian sentiment. One of his pieces discreetly includes Paddington Bear flashing a member of the royal family.
It is all done with tongue firmly in cheek – a by-product of Stewy’s irrepressible sense of humour.
And it is catching on. Stewy recently held an exhibition of his work at The Local Hero festival in Banff to much acclaim.
The Vinary community space in the town is about to auction off a few of his paintings.
Meanwhile, anyone that’s interested can get a look at them on Stewy’s busy Facebook page.
It’s been an incredible journey for a man who has seen his life turn upside down in the past 12 months.
Chef Stewy Walker, the ‘Heston Blumenthal of the north-east’
Stewy says he first picked up a paintbrush when he ran his own restaurant in Inverness.
Zanzibar opened in 2000 and served exotic meats such as ostrich, zebra, giraffe and crocodile.
He had the place for almost five years, before working as head chef at places including the Boar’s Head in Kinmuck and the Linsmohr Hotel in Pitmedden.
In that time, he picked up a name for himself.
A report in the Evening Express described the then-40-year-old as the “Heston Blumenthal of the north-east” because of his boundary-pushing menus.
TV came calling and Stewy was a chef on the six-part Gaelic TV series, On The Box.
Eventually, however, Edinburgh-born Stewy moved to Thailand where alcoholism took hold.
The drinking continued when he moved back to the UK in January 2019, showing up at Manchester airport with no money and no plans.
He had his stroke in May last year, just after he made the decision to stop drinking.
By his own admission, he was in a dark place. His relationship with his children had broken down – stopping drinking was an attempt to get it back on track.
But Stewy thinks this sudden abstinence may have caused the stroke. He was left unable to walk or talk.
‘Horrific consequences’ of Stewy’s drinking
Today, Stewy is one year sober. He is rebuilding bridges with his children and continues physio to regain movement and speech.
“It was easy to give up [drinking] after my stroke and see and feel the horrific consequences of what it did to me as a person and my health,” he says.
“Some of my actions nearly destroyed my wonderful children who didn’t deserve to see me in despair. We are building on our relationship. I fully understand this takes time and trust.”
Another positive is his return to painting. But while the passion remains, Stewy’s reduced motor skills has meant a rethink of how he tackles the canvas.
Paintbrushes are out because of the control required to wield them. Instead, Stewy has gone back to the tools of his former trade.
Pastry cutters are a favourite as they can create circles of colour.
But knives and forks are also part of Stewy’s new arsenal of implements.
Indeed, anything can be transformed into a painting tool in Stewy’s hands, and he admits to using old credit cards and plates.
Stewy’s comic book sensibility
The most important consideration, however, is colour.
A fan of The Beano when growing up in foster care in Scotland, Stewy brings a comic book sensibility to his artwork, which charts some of his low points, as well as his newfound joy of living.
“As long as it pops,” he says with a grin.
One of Stewy’s pieces even features The Beano masthead hidden amongst a whole wall of pop culture references. And it’s no surprise when Stewy tells me who his favourite Beano character is.
For a man who has spent his whole life going against the grain, there can be only one answer.
“Dennis the Menace,” he says, laughing.
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