Borne in Peterborough and clocking on a bit now, I started painting when, at 40, a sudden creative urge came over me and I decided to enrol on a watercolour evening class. I have always been able to draw and paint and as a 9 year old I entered a Janet and John drawing and painting competition and was awarded a painting box, which I still have.
I must have the painting genes in me as my grandfather was an artist and apart from the graphic design and photography qualifications I gained a few years ago, I have had no official training other than at school.
Before I moved home I used to belong to the Peterborough Art Society and exhibited in their annual exhibition and won Best in Show for the painting of my sister’s Springer Spaniel. Early on in my painting career I also entered PAWS an international wildlife competition and was highly commended as I had reached the top 100 out of entries from all over the world.
I‘ve painted all sorts of subjects from flowers to abstract art for an office but mostly my commissions consist of animal portraits, mainly in acrylics. I’ve had several solo exhibitions as well as taking part in local exhibitions.
I also paint in pastel and watercolour as well as pen and wash. I take lots of photographs and will try and see a painting in my photography before taking the shot. I even went into a tiger’s cage to get a picture I could use, as painting tigers is something I enjoy. I have also used water soluble oil paints in conjunction with acrylics.
So far, I have attended a few SAA workshops and found them invaluable as they have shown me how to use pastels and watercolours in different ways and I am looking forward to going to several more.