Steam Painting

I was at Wimbledon School of Art in the 1960s. Following art school I worked as a scenic artist at Wimbledon Theatre (Arthur Lane Productions). I moved to Paris at the age of 19 and worked for the Society for Environmental Research, in the field of fiber optics. I was inspired by the artistic bohemian life of Paris in the early 1970s and was surrounded by innovative people and ideas in film, art and particularly music which remains an important influence in my life and work. From Paris I moved to Brighton to focus more fully on my artwork. My time there was one of learning and experiment. I spent hours in the library of Brighton School of Art researching Art Deco furniture, lithography and artwork. Simultaneously I was experimenting with different techniques for painting. Brighton in the early 1980s was undergoing an architectural renovation. The large arched spaces under the Brighton promenade, which had housed the fishing industry, were being converted into artists’ studios and I showed my work there at Open Studios Gallery in 1985. I left Brighton to travel and found myself in the late 1980s living in Alora, a small town in the mountains north of Malaga, where I have lived ever since. In Spain I have a studio space with an inspirational view of the Andalucian Mountains. I enjoy a game of chess and I often turn to the chessboard for inspiration. Amongst many local showings of my work I have exhibited at La Bien Cercada Gallery in Alora, (1993 & 1998), Blas Infant Gallery, Coin Malaga (1994) and in the wonderful expansive Malaga Airport Gallery (2004). I continue to find myself experimenting with new techniques and art materials and I work with a range of painting styles that allow me to survive financially as an artist while also experimenting with innovative ideas. I have found it expedient to develop a representational style using pen and acrylic color - paintings that draw on the richness of local village life. Alongside I work with large canvases and explosive landscapes of abstract form and colour.