The Long-Legged Bait Painting

I was born in Bristol in 1961. I moved to London in 1979 to study at the 'Slade School of Fine Art'. There I set out in pursuit of the traditional skills. Accurate renderings of anatomy, colour and perspective, are the building blocks for my paintings. In my paintings, firstly I set out to create a thing of beauty, secondly, I try to use symbolism and narrative to load the work with ideas - for those willing to dig a little deeper. Over thirty years I have worked within these same principles, building a body of work that has a strong visual impact, but also a lot to say for itself under the surface. Over recent years -especially -the narrative elements in my pictures have woven together and the same characters repeatedly appear. Another development for me has been the way my home town of Clevedon has become a sort of magical setting for my paintings. Together these elements give a sense of cohesion to the world that I depict. With so much ‘King’s new clothesery’ abounding in the contemporary art world these days, its more important than ever to hold to one's artistic principles.