Living to paint
During 70's and 80's I worked in advertising and design agencies in London and the South East as a visualiser and graphic designer.
It was in the 90’s, whilst director of a design consultancy, that I discovered watercolours and started painting with them in
my spare time. The fluidity of the medium and it's instant result excited me and I was soon painting 'en plein air' whenever I could find time.
It was always my plan to give up working in commercial art and spend the rest of my days 'living to paint'
rather than like most artists, painting for a living. I've been fortunate over the last 15 years to have done just that,
and in the process, travelled to some wonderful locations, meeting and painting along side some very talented
painters many of whom are now great friends.
I am a prolific painter who paints outside in all weathers, attempting to complete the work in a single session.
In damp weather I use a blow torch to speed up the drying process of my watercolours, setting fire to the paper,
my gloves, and my hands on many occasions!
Although my preferred medium is watercolour, I also paint in oils and in charcoal, a medium I find exciting and stimulating, both for sketching outside and studio portraits of friends, family and my grandchildren.
In addition to my studio in Surrey, I paint on location in Cornwall, often joined by my friend, St Ives painter, Alan Holmes. During the 2020 'Lockdown' we had a number of 'virtual painting trips' communicating over the phone and internet, painting places we had visited together over the last 12 years.
2020
During 70's and 80's I worked in advertising and design agencies in London and the South East as a visualiser and graphic designer.
It was in the 90’s, whilst director of a design consultancy, that I discovered watercolours and started painting with them in
my spare time. The fluidity of the medium and it's instant result excited me and I was soon painting 'en plein air' whenever I could find time.
It was always my plan to give up working in commercial art and spend the rest of my days 'living to paint'
rather than like most artists, painting for a living. I've been fortunate over the last 15 years to have done just that,
and in the process, travelled to some wonderful locations, meeting and painting along side some very talented
painters many of whom are now great friends.
I am a prolific painter who paints outside in all weathers, attempting to complete the work in a single session.
In damp weather I use a blow torch to speed up the drying process of my watercolours, setting fire to the paper,
my gloves, and my hands on many occasions!
Although my preferred medium is watercolour, I also paint in oils and in charcoal, a medium I find exciting and stimulating, both for sketching outside and studio portraits of friends, family and my grandchildren.
In addition to my studio in Surrey, I paint on location in Cornwall, often joined by my friend, St Ives painter, Alan Holmes. During the 2020 'Lockdown' we had a number of 'virtual painting trips' communicating over the phone and internet, painting places we had visited together over the last 12 years.
2020