Born 1942 Scotland 
Retired biologist and computer geek 
Living and working in the Derbyshire Peak District for nearly 50 years 
life drawing tutor in Bakewell, Derbyshire. 
 
Painting is both a joy and a frustration 
 
From a young age my passion for countryside and the 
outdoors fuelled my need to draw, paint and 
photograph. At the same time my education 
background became strongly biased towards the 
sciences. eauty in humanity and the natural world is 
therefore my favoured motivation for creation in art. 
 
For fifty years the art of photography has been my 
focus.  Alchemy in the darkroom supported my 
photographic image making. The aesthetic skills 
acquired in photographic pursuits have been an open 
doorway into more painting and drawing expression.  
 
The process of much of my art is about experiment 
and discovery.  The scientist in me urges this 
experimentation and I search for the style to hover 
between the traditional and avant garde.   
 
Increasingly I've used the convenience of  water based 
paints as a primary medium.  Most of my artwork is 
produced plein air and alla prima.  Different media 
allow me to express different ideas. A recently revived 
interest in portraiture has led me to work with oils. 
 
I'm always excited by the magic which happens when a 
mixture of water and pigments can paint itself,   how a 
confident line creates a human form, or that coloured 
marks can evoke strong emotion and abstraction may 
revive dormant memories.  
 
It is my hope that the viewer of a finished work 
experiences  some of my connection with the original 
subject