By profession I was a Chartered Surveyor but I am now retired and therefore able to spend more time painting than hitherto. I have been painting in watercolour for the last 40 years.
My pictures have been published in The New Encyclopedia of Watercolour Techniques, published by Running Press, and hung in various exhibitions including:- Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours Annual Exhibitions
- Britain in Watercolours at The Mall Galleries
- The Bedford Park Summer Annual Exhibitions
- Father & Daughter exhibition at the Kingston Episcopal Office
- The Christmas Exhibition 2008 at St Julian's, Sevenoaks
- One man Spring Exhibition at the Ripley Arts Centre, Bromley, Kent
- The Summer Exhibition 2009 at St Julian's, Sevenoaks
- Ab Fab Affordable Art Fair at Whitstable 2010
- The September Art Exhibition, Wadhurst 2010
- West Lindsey Open Churches Festival at All Saints, Wragby Church 2011
Most of my inspiration has been gathered from travelling throughout much of Great Britain and France. My subjects are often landscape, architectural and topographical subjects with details creeping in from time to time. Upland and coastal Britain has provided many subjects, as more recently has the landscape, buildings and café society in France. Pictures mostly reflect the atmosphere of place and are often culled from more than 80 sketchbooks accumulated over the years. In addition to painting in watercolours, I have a keen interest in photography.
Although I have lived and worked in Bedfordshire, Surrey and Kent I am currently living in Lincolnshire where the Wolds are providing visual delight which I hope will be translated into some interesting watercolours.
I tend to use a somewhat restricted colour palette and work predominantly on rough watercolour paper. I am often more interested in the atmosphere of a place than the precise detail and particularly enjoy laying dark toned washes. Nowadays I find great satisfaction in mixing colours that don't just relate to the desired colour but also accommodate the technical properties of the selected pigments.
I have been influenced over the years by individual watercolourists both past and present and in particular by :
- Richard Parkes Bonnington
- Joseph Mallord William Turner
- John Sell Cotman
- Edward Seago
- Rowland Hilder
- G. John Blockley
- Trevor Chamberlain
- Mike Chaplin
- Leslie Worth
Without doubt the greatest influence and encouragement came from my one time tutor John Blockley RI whose untimely death I continue to lament. The art world is the poorer now that he is no longer painting.
I am married to Margaret and we have a married daughter, Sarah, who trained as a graphic designer and now lives in the Fens. Margaret and I are members of All Saints Church, Wragby where we regularly worship.