I was born in 1961 in north west England and went to High School in Preston. As a boy I was very interested in drawing and won awards for my art. Being a great ornithologist, I had my own bird sanctuary, taking in children and deviates and care back to health, which were later released back into the wild.
This early commitment to wildlife brought me to be both environmentally conscious, and
I was born in 1961 in north west England and went to High School in Preston. As a boy I was very interested in drawing and won awards for my art. Being a great ornithologist, I had my own bird sanctuary, taking in children and deviates and care back to health, which were later released back into the wild.
This early commitment to wildlife brought me to be both environmentally conscious, and an avid conservationist.
My passion for art and nature led me to study Natural History Illustration at Blackpool college. It was there that the Rotary Club of Great Britain awarded the prize for me 'Student of the Year'. This award is for work of exceptional quality and detail. I was also the first student to get a distinction for my job, which was a great honor.
After leaving the university adopted painting as a career full time and was, and still am, in the constant search for reference for my subjects. This has meant that I have traveled to places far from the Jungles of Borneo and Central America, in the spectacular mountains of Virunga, in Rwanda, as well as the plains of Africa and Asia. For me come face to face with nature is what makes me tick.
He had five sell out exhibitions in total, and has achieved record prices, both Sotheby's and Christies. He also won 'Best in Show' award at the Society Exhibition of Wildlife Art in 1999.
Possibly one of the most important things for any artist is the inspiration. I have been fortunate enough to travel extensively in the search for my reference, and that can not fail to be inspired when face to face with a mountain gorilla, or about tigers in the wild. It is so important, as an artist, to get first-hand reference, not only for the animals and birds that appear in my paintings.
But also the native vegetation, landscapes, rocks and trees, and so is my lucky enough to have a kind of photographic memory where I see a scene that touches me, and then I can visualize in detail much later.
I partner with field studies, and photographic reference to recreate the idea was formulated in the field, and bring it to life, in my study. As a result I never short of ideas and as soon as you have finished a painting, I was itching continue with the next new project has been on my mind in recent days or weeks.
The composition is the key to a great painting, as is the right balance of color, but I think the most important element for me is the light. A picture without light is flat and lifeless. Put in a strong light source, and has a very different history, the shadows play a key role in describing the shape of the object, which comes to life in a painting.
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