Harrogate rail conductor paints classic rock guitarist’s portrait after spotting him on the train

When not looking after passengers on Northern trains, Paul Mirfin spends his time as a successful singer-songwriter.

Having built a musical reputation after appearing on BBC TV's Songs of Praise and selling out Harrogate's Royal Hall, Mirfin has recently branched out into art - no pun intended.

His latest portrait in oil is of one of the hardest gigging guitarists on the planet, Paul Guerin from The Quireboys, the English rock band whose classic A Bit of What You Fancy album reached number two in the UK charts.

The quietly spoken but charismatic Mirfin says the idea for the portrait came to him by accident.

"I used to see Paul regularly on the train on the Harrogate line when he was coming home from touring with the band" said Paul Mirfin.

"I wanted to capture the energy and passion he brings when he is on stage using an Impressionism style."

After completing his painting, Mirfin travelled to the guitarist's home in Newcastle to show him it.

"It was great to go to Newcastle to meet such a great guitarist," said Mirfin.

"It's good to see musicians like Paul touring again since the Covid pandemic hit musicians and artists so hard. "

The Paul Mirfin Band's recent single Being Real is available on all streaming sites.

More information at www.thepaulmirfinband.com