It was on Christmas morning, when I was twelve, my mother gave me one of the best presents I received an oil painting set. That was the beginning and I have been painting ever since. I was immediately captivated by what can be achieved with a brush, a little oil painting and a few small squares of hardboard; I used to paint on the back, because I thought that seemed appropriate canvas.
My
It was on Christmas morning, when I was twelve, my mother gave me one of the best presents I received an oil painting set. That was the beginning and I have been painting ever since. I was immediately captivated by what can be achieved with a brush, a little oil painting and a few small squares of hardboard; I used to paint on the back, because I thought that seemed appropriate canvas.
My mother was a weaver in a factory not far from my school and when finished my day, I used to walk to the factory and expect to complete their work. I loved the smell of looms and talked to everybody in the spinning sheds, mending and repair room, carriers and tuners, along with my grandmother, who was the 'cha' lady. This is where my love tea provenance, as well as the images I now paint. With no formal training I have just enjoyed painting in many different styles and with numerous subjects, developing and honing my techniques of brush and palette knife.
Although I was born and bred in Yorkshire, during my youth I spent a while in Cornwall. There I met two prominent artists (Keith English & Tom Gower), and spent hours looking at their paintings. It was my conversations with them that made me believe I could be a professional artist.
However, as life goes on, marriage to my lovely wife, mortgage to whoever was the cheapest, and children who I wouldn't be without, meant that painting remained as a hobby. I ran my own business in video and media production for more than 20 years and this took me around the country and abroad, filming for many clients and running workshops teaching primary school and A-level students the art of video making. My daughter-in-law now runs the business and this has released me to achieve my lifelong dream of being a working artist.
In 2000, I started selling my paintings to local galleries and through them my work went nation-wide. My older brother Colin ever-so-nicely, yet relentlessly, forced CD's featuring my images on to many fine art publishers. This created a good interest in my work. In 2005, I exhibited at the Autumn Fair in Birmingham and there I was introduced to Glyn Washington of Washington Green and the rest, as they say, is history.
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