Jack Vettriano, one of Britain’s most popular and successful living artists has been nicknamed “The People’s Painter.” Born and raised in a Scottish mining town, Vettriano intended to work underground as a mining engineer until a girlfriend gave him a set of paints and his career sharply detoured into art. Needing to feel emotionally uncomfortable to create his edgy, atmospheric dramas, the self-taught Vettriano often listens to Leonard Cohen’s requiems while he works. Known for toiling tirelessly until a painting is completed, Vettriano has sold more works than Dali, Monet and Van Gogh, and his sales set a record at Scotland Sotheby’s.

© Art.com