My mother was responsible for my interest in art; being an avid crossword fan she used to doodle whilst solving the cryptic clues and I picked up on this from an early age. At school I was as excited about the art lessons as I was about dinner time. I often forgot to come home on time after becoming totally engrossed in a painting. Art College followed school and I spent a total of 5 years studying both fine art and graphic design. On leaving college, I entered the world of advertising. Many years working on commercial material did not erode my passion for fine art. I continued to produce pieces in my own time, experimenting with different medium and subject matter. I realised that in order to follow my dream I had to make an important decision. I chose to commit myself fully to my passion for fine art and became a full time artist in 2005, a decision I have never regretted.
In every day situations I tend to take mental snapshots of inanimate and animate subjects. It might be a knowing glance between two people or a reaction to a surprise. I have frequent brainstorming sessions, often with a glass of red wine in my hand – it is amazing how many of these snapshots then resurface for use in my sketches! My work combines the real and the imaginary and this is reflected in the finished pieces. My early inspirations are wide and varied, from seeing the Yellow Submarine animation as a child, to reading about Leonardo Da Vinci at school. I never cease to be amazed by Leonardo’s thirst for knowledge and his technical ability. Other influences include, Charles Renee Mackintosh with his uniquely romantic approach to his work and Joseph Wright for his stunning mastery of lighting. I aim to create art which generates a warm reaction from the viewer, to mirror my emotions when creating them. I am a positive person by nature and a complete optimist, my wine glass is always half full! I am as comfortable creating three dimensional works as two dimensional. The sheer pleasure of creating something totally unique is immeasurable.
I produce masses of rough sketches in short energetic bursts. I have a good idea in my mind of colour schemes but I try not to be too specific before the event. This prevents me from stifling the creative process during execution of the finished item. I go through a range of emotions when working. Excitement is always first when an idea pops into my head. Anxiety and fear follows closely as the illustration starts to build. This is where my experience and confidence is required to see it through. I have learned to trust my instincts. Finally there is exhilaration when the finished picture matches my expectations. I frequently walk away from my work during production to stay fresh and objective. Once each piece is finished, I leave it for a couple of days before re-visiting it. This is when I will make tweaks where necessary.
My day usually starts at around 7.30am. It is very rare that we use an alarm as we instinctively wake up at about the same time each day. I will get up and feed our two ‘ragdoll’ cats, and bring my wife Mary a cup of tea before taking her to work. Back at my studio I will look at finished work before continuing with my latest project. The studio is in a perfect position, on a south facing hillside, so I have plenty of natural light. I must have music whilst working and my taste varies considerably, as does my music collection. I also have a piano and will tinkle the ivories to the best of my ability, striving to improve my skills when time permits. The fields surrounding our home are full of horses, cattle and sheep (but no pigs!). I am fortunate in that I overlook the Pennines, so inspiration is always close at hand. As soon as I settle down to work, the cats settle down to sleep. I usually have a short break for lunch and like to groom the cats - being pedigree ragdolls they employ me as their valet! I find this very therapeutic and so do they. Work ends anywhere between 5 and 8pm after which I collect Mary and we have our evening meal together. My mind is always active, often causing me to wake up in the early hours to sketch out a few ideas. If I cannot sleep then I will tackle a crossword to knock me out.
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