LESS than a decade ago Danny Abrahams was playing guitar in a rock band.

The accomplished musician also wrote songs for the band, the Hoover Dams, who made a name for themselves playing gigs across the UK.

Now he leads a very different life. Danny is a well-respected painter, whose captivating work has seen him become one of the country’s most collectable artists.

His oil paintings are distinctive, with a mystical, dreamlike quality that sets them apart: a young couple leans on a dry stone wall, taking in the majesty of the fiery sunset; a man walks his dog against a smoggy industrial backdrop; a young boy flies a kite towards the sun as it strains to break through clouds.

Many of his landscapes are unmistakably Yorkshire - sweeping valleys dotted with barns, towering mill chimneys, cheek-by-jowl terraces, wild moorland.

“Everything about the Yorkshire landscape inspires me,” he says, “From rolling hills to cobbled streets - what’s not to love about Yorkshire? When I’m not painting I’m likely to be found walking in the Dales, taking in the changing moods and colours of God’s own country.”

Skyscapes are a major feature of Danny’s distinctive work, from bright and breezy to dark and brooding, they are vivid melting pots of colour.

It is hard to believe that this talented artist did not pick up a paint brush until he was aged over 30. “I enjoyed drawing and doodling as a child but never took it seriously,” he says. “By the time I was a teenager I wasn’t interested in it at all. I never imagined that eventually I would have a career in art,” he says.

Danny grew up in Wibsey, attending Yorkshire Martyrs school. “I was more interested in sport. I lived for football,” he says. “Art was something which wasn’t on my agenda at that time. I enjoyed spending my spare time playing for local football teams and hanging about with my mates.”

He left school aged 16. “I went to work with my dad fixing signs up and down the country,” he says. “I continued working in that industry until art took me in a different direction.”

Danny later played guitar in the Hoover Dams, which saw some success. The five-piece band was hand-picked as a headline act by the legendary events promoter Harvey Goldsmith as part of the Channel 4 show Get Your Act Together.

“It kept my creative juices flowing,” he says, but after the band broke up in 2010 he felt a void in his life. “I had plenty of spare time on my hands to get creative and decided to give painting a go.”

His girlfriend Danielle bought him some acrylic paints and brushes, and he didn’t look back. “I found it just came naturally to me,” he says. “For the next couple of years I carried on working and would paint on weekends. I visited a few local galleries and generating some interest selling the odd piece here and there,” he says.

In 2012 Danny’s younger sister Gemma died suddenly. “It was the hardest time in my life and it made me realise that life is short and you only get one shot at it. I decided to take a risk and threw myself into my art work full-time.”

He spent many nights experimenting with different mediums and techniques to find his own style. It around two years before he started to realise his full potential.

From the outset Danny set out to introduce a dream-like quality to his paintings. “I wanted to portray memories of growing up and how it feels to be young and carefree,” he says. “Growing up in the eighties, I’m from a generation of kids that played out in the streets. It was a time of innocence, a time filled with fun and adventure. My world is a world where summer holidays last forever and snow spills over the top of your wellies.”

He prefers working in oil on board. “This medium favours my ability to capture the many moods of the landscapes and the magical skyscapes,” he says. “I use a varied pallet and, depending where the mood takes me, every blank canvas is the start of a new adventure.”

The inspiration he draws from Bradford is demonstrated in his portrayal of industrial landscapes and their inhabitants. “I’ve always been surrounded by hard-working, genuine people with a strong work ethic - my working class heroes portray them. The industrial roots of Bradford are often displayed in my work whether it be a chimney or a mill town. Bradford is unique and inspiring because of the contrast of vast open green areas and the industrial city.”

The city and its surroundings can be clearly identified - Valley Parade, Salts Mill, Bolton Abbey...

He has not left behind his love of football: his work focusing on football grounds are both captivating and evocative. City fans leaving Valley Parade, heads bowed, a few waving scarves, the sky in glorious technicolour. He also turns his brushes to the grounds of Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United.

Cricket and golf, being played and watched, are also captured among his diverse collection of work. There’s a Lowryesque quality to many of his working class scenes.

Every piece presents its own challenge especially commissioned pieces, he says. “Trying to paint somebody else’s vision can be quite a task, but it is also very rewarding.”

Every day is different. “Some days you feel creative and some days you don’t. I go with the flow - my paintings come from my heart and I can’t force that. I have to be in the right mood to paint.”

Among his many works, he does not have a favourite. “It would be like having a favourite child," he laughs. "Every painting has its own charm.”

He praises his family, who have always been supportive. “My mum and dad have actively encouraged me with my painting. My dad helps with framing the paintings and my mum and my partner do all of the book work. It wouldn’t be possible without their help and for this I’m forever grateful.”

His work is reaching a wide audience. “I’m lucky enough to have my paintings on display in galleries from the north of Scotland to London, and down to the south coast of England.”

In December, Danny is showing a new collection of work in Redbrick mill, Batley, where he has staged previous successful exhibitions.

Danny listens to music while painting, and still find the occasional moment to play his guitar. “I really enjoyed being in the Hoover Dams and touring up and down the country. It was very time consuming, so I definitely couldn’t do it now. But I occasionally pull the guitar out. I enjoy a singalong, but don’t take it seriously anymore.”

For more information on Danny’s work visit dannyabrahamsart.com; Facebook: Danny Abrahams Art.