"Happo-en Koi under Fall leaves" Painting

I took up art late in life after a career in advertising. A British citizen, I have lived in Tokyo, Japan for over 20 years, but spend part of the year in the UK and France.
Artists that inspire me to paint include Sorolla, Velasquez, Zorn, Caillebotte, Estes, Close, Hockney, Manet...
I owe my initial interest in oils when aged only 9 to my maths teacher at school ‘Deadly’ Hedley Moore, who used to dabble in painting in his spare time and gave me some rudimentary advice while squinting through the smoke of an untipped cigaratte. I was hopeless at maths but must have had some basic ability because over 40 years later I started to paint and sell my art in earnest, with my big breakthrough being accepted to the UK’s prestigious Royal Academy summer exhibition in 2012. What a thrill to see my work on the wall of that august institution!
I am self-taught and paint in oils on canvas often with an acrylic base. I sell my paintings through private commissions and solo exhibitions and have just started to market online. I have learned a lot by following the artist and teacher Will Kemp . My paintings are figurative in style, highly realistic. They resemble photographs but are not photorealistic. I call it magical realism: the colours and the composition are vibrant, and the magic comes from the interface between you and the painting. Hopefully my paintings will make you pause for a while and take you to another place....