elements 14 Painting

At school I never enjoyed or had any ability relating to painting or even art as a whole, nothing! My father, uncles and brother were all soldiers, career soldiers. So its no surpise I was destined to become a career soldier myself and indeed a very proud one. After serving fifteen years I sustained severe injury whilst serving and consequently lost my army career. After various surgeries I begun my rehabilitaion I became massivley depressed. The army therepists introduced me to painting which Immediatly felt so natural and the ability to express was so huge. This was a huge shock and to this day I don't know where this all came from! I then basically shut myself away from the world for around eight years, I set my tiny stiudio up in the hallway of my house and painted, and painted and painted!! During this time my understanding and slowly to begin with my appreciation for other artists started to grow, I begun reading countless books and "how to vids" on youtube and my basic knoledge of painting and art began to grow. At this stage I never allowed my work to be exhibited, I felt so nakid when even my friends viewed my work. Eventually my then docotr acting on his own brought down the curator of the local art gallery (moors centre in Danby), I was offered a solo exhibition of all the paintings I had accumilated during my eight years of sollitude. Success, the exhibtion was a sell out and whats more the local papers picked up on the story and before I knew it I was being interviewed on BBC look north, in all the launch or "break out" of my solitude was a huge contrast to my life and my painting career has only snowballed to where I am now.