I am an artist who prefers to paint
Wildlife especially Birds. That said my paintings
show the subject in its environment so this calls
upon my skills, observation and knowledge to paint
the whole scene whether a full land or seascape or
the individual leaves on an Oak tree.
I am a self taught artist born in Yorkshire in 1956
and have been studying and watching Wildlife ever
since I can remember and when I was bought my first
set of Liquitex Acrylic paints at the age of 13 years
it was only natural to paint my favourite subject,
birds. It was never a question of painting for a living
just a matter of when, work was just going to be a
hobby until then.
I first exhibited at the age of 15 years and even
after receiving praise and encouragement from Sir
Peter Scott, I decided on a career in the holiday
trade which gave me the opportunity to live in some
wonderful locations around the UK’s coast from
Sutherland to Devon and the Isle of Wight to Norfolk.
In the winter I would jump on a plane with my rucksack
and travel throughout the world and record my journeys
in sketchbooks. Unfortunately towards the end of my
work/hobby the open season became longer and the work
more demanding so taking a couple of months off at
a time was not practical. I continued to paint wildlife
throughout this time and had several exhibitions some
with my father who is a professional artist living
in Yorkshire.
In 2006 I took the decision to become a full time
artist predominantly painting Wildlife. Having started
with acrylics I also used Winsor and Newton water
colour and gouache for many years and have recently
returned to acrylics but continue to use watercolours
especially for sketching.
I live on the Lizard peninsular in Cornwall, UK with
my wife and two small children. The area is an ideal
environment to paint with its varied scenery and wildlife
and I have been commissioned to illustrate a week
by week guide to the unique natural history of the
Lizard peninsular. This is from a local environmentally
award winning country estate and gives me the opportunity
and excuse to explore the region in depth.
Having lived next to the sea for over 30 years I intend
to try to capture the sea in all its moods and an
expedition to Antarctica is planned in the near future
to challenge and develop my skills as an artist.
Field sketches form the basis of my finished work
and I only use other material as an aid memoir and
for accuracy of the subject. I do not restrict myself
to one style but continually try new ways and techniques
as I believe experimentation is key to freshness in
my work.
In the first year demand for my work has been phenomenal
with half of my paintings going overseas to Europe
and the USA. Demand for work has already increased
in 2008 and is set to continue. I will be the featured
artist in May 2008 Birds illustrated and other Wildlife
magazines and has just been accepted as a signature
member of the Artists for Conservation foundation.
I also intend to develop my step by step guide to
his painting process on his web site to encourage
others to take up a brush and paint. I have also recently
being sponsored by Winsor and Newton and will be a
featured artist on their new web site.
