From as early as I can remember, I have always had a passion, some might call it an obsession with drawing and painting. At the age of 10 when other boys were out fishing in the canal or exploring the countryside on bicycles, you would have been just as likely to find me in the woods with a sketch book and pencil.

Academic achievements however were totally beyond me, and if it weren't for spell checkers, I'm sure there would be lots of mistakes in this web site. From 17, my lack of academic prowess meant that I was no longer able to continue any formal artistic training. Between 1964 and 1979 I pursued a career in sales and marketing whilst furthering my artistic ambitions by taking occasional commissions. So apart from some early training, I suppose you would call me self-taught.

I never totally abandoned my passion for painting and in the early 80's I took the plunge and established myself full-time as a commission artist and illustrator and have more than 400 commissions to my name throughout Britain and Europe. I travelled extensively throughout Europe from 1985 to 1989, earning a living selling drawings and paintings and during this period I had one-man exhibitions in a number of countries.

Since 1989 I have moved away from commissions as a main source of income to teaching which I find very rewarding. I have worked for Hereford College of Art and in a number of primary schools advancing the pupils and teachers drawing skills. I was also a guest tutor at Art in Action for several years. In 1993 I established my own large studio to give me space to put on private classes and now run drawing and painting courses attracting students from throughout the UK and an increasing number from overseas. I am particularly proud of the courses I run in basic and developing drawing skills, which I passionately believe in.

The success of my teaching studio has benefited me as an artist in several ways. I have learnt an enormous amount from my students, even now after more than 12 years of teaching, I am still learning from them, because teaching makes you think about what you are doing and how you are doing it. The teaching has also given me a certain amount of financial security which has enabled me to explore painting for its own sake and be experimental. The final piece of the jigsaw was put in place when I opened my own gallery here at the studio. This has enabled me to present my work in a perfect space and as a result I am beginning to sell well. A further boost has been the increasing interest by other galleries around the country in showing my work. I now feel I have found where I want to be artistically and so I feel very focused.