and express this."
In addition, being gay and Catholic has combined
painting of the crucified Christ he showed me. Gary says: "S and M. Look at the way he's tied to the cross. It's bondage, really." During the photoshoot we pass a saltire (X-shaped cross), and Gary immediately claps his hands above his head, adopts a to provide a heady mixture, evidenced by a writhing pose and says: "Look, St
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Sebastian!"
But there is also a softer side to Gary and his work. Whenever he swears
during our interview he immediately apologises for using a "bad word"
and looks nervously around like a naughty schoolboy, as if he's expecting
a slap or a good telling off. And there's clearly a very strong affection
for his home town; he proudly declares "I'm a Salford lad, born and
bred." Some of this affection is evident in his townscapes, which
always include "me
and Zolta." His faithful companion for 19 years, Zolta, a Staffordshire bull terrier cross, was quite simply Gary's longest
relationship: "She was around longer than me mum or dad or partner.
She died last year and I really miss her."
Gary is keen to see causes close to his heart benefit from his art. Not
only has he presented a drawing of Diana, Princess of Wales to the THT
for a fundraising auction, but also recently presented a drawing of actress
Liz Dawn, who plays
Coronation Street's Vera Duckworth, to the Christie
