Homeless artist bought boat by Americans

A homeless pavement artist whose work has been exhibited in the Tate Gallery has been bought a new home by wealthy American fans.

The 50-year-old painter, who is known only as Simon, so impressed the group of tourists from the United States that they decided to buy him a houseboat.

Simon - he refuses to give his surname - spends his days pitched at the base of Bath Abbey working on his paintings, and by night sleeps on a bench by the Kennet and Avon canal.

His simplistic art, featuring boats and still life sketches found a home in an exhibition at Tate Britain - formerly the Tate Gallery - last year.

He was discovered by two artists scouring the country looking for work by non-professionals for a show called Intelligence: New British Art 2000.

They commissioned his still life of a pint of cider and a pint of bitter for the exhibition, which aimed to show undiscovered talent.

Despite his new-found fame, Simon - who could not afford the fare to go and see his work displayed - carried on painting on his old turf and sleeping rough.

But the anonymous American fans who heard about his work approached him and asked him if they could buy him his dream narrow boat to live in.

Simon - who is now busy refurbishing the 1908 narrow boat, Jolly Wassail, they bought him - said: ‘‘I was approached by these people after they heard my picture was in the Tate.

‘‘They had been to London and I told them I could not afford to go.

‘‘They asked me where I would like to live and I said a narrow boat because I have been on them before. They said: ‘We’d like to get you one’.

‘‘Life’s what you make it and if you ask for nothing, the more you get.’’