Artists statement
"I have always loved painting wildlife. I believe I did my first wildlife drawing at the age of 8 (you can see it, and a selection of my early work by following the link below). These days I try to capture a feeling or atmosphere in my paintings that depicts some of the character of the animal as well as creating a beautiful piece of work to look at.
I always paint animals I have seen and try to spend some time with them, in an attempt to get to know it enough to do a painting."
Exhibitions and Prizes
Rotterdam
The society of Wildlife Artist
Marwell International Wildlife Art Society
Dartmoor Wildlife Art Competition
- Best British Wildlife
- Best Bird
Art History - See my old work
2004 - Present
I'm in the process of resurrecting my art career in the shape I would want it to be. I'm spending time getting to know the wildlife I want to paint and producing the images that mean the most to me. That's when I can find time away from my full time job that is!
After a long break from art work, this is a really exciting time for me as I feel I'm really finding my style and niche. I've never been happier and feel it's really showing in my work. To date, I have had work shown at:
The Society of Wldlife Art Annual Exhibition
Marwell International Wildlife Art Exhibition
Saint Louise Zoo fundraiser in America
Open Art Exhibition in Rotterdam
2001 - 2004
I was forced to take some much needed time out over these years. I'd been working as a freelance illustrator for too long and it had worn me down. One day, I simply decided that I'd had enough. I went out and got a proper job, and didn't even pick up a pencil for well over a year.
That first year was really touch and go, as to whether or not I'd give up art work completely, but fortunately I loved it too much to let that happen.
1996-2001
For 5 years, I worked as a freelance illustrator doing work for various clients on both sides of the Atlantic, such as:
Reader's Digest
BBC Wildlife magazine
New Holland Press
Various Wildlife Trusts
This was a mixed time for me. I loved to paint but was finding the restrictive nature of the work difficult. A lot of the time, the client would dictate much (if not all) of the creative process, meaning that there was little for me to do but research and paint the required image. To be completely honest, in this setting, I also just didn't have the skills required. I found it difficult to produce an image with so little time to get to know the subject and so little creative input. I also found it very difficult to make enough of a living and, one day, just gave up.
I studied scientific illustration over these years at Southampton Institute and Blackpool and the Fylde College of Art. The image you see on the left of a spotted orchid was chosen for publication in a natural history magazine to advertise the college.