I am a practising artist from the Wirral peninsular in North West of England, which is where I was born and still reside to this day. My creativity and potential as an artist was noticed by my art teacher at my high school. I was put forward for additional advanced art tuition with the older pupils in my second year at high school. From this moment on I gained confidence and focused on my possibilities. I’ve never looked back.
Unfortunately, being from an under privileged and working class background, at the age of 15, I had no alternative but to start work and say goodbye to my artistic opportunities. My parents could not afford to send me to art college, and this frustrated me immensely.
It was many years later in my late 30s that I finally had a personal opportunity to study. I attended University and began a degree course in Art & Design Illustration. I remember on my first year being introduced to painting (which up until this point I had not experienced) – in fact I had never even picked up a paintbrush. It felt the most natural thing to do, like an extension of my hand, and I could hear disbelief from my peers that this was my first attempt.
After 5 intense years I finally graduated with a BA HONORS degree in Art Illustration.
Drawn to artists such as American born realist Edward Hopper and the magical surrealism of Michael Parkes, I am naturally intrigued by wild imagination, the mystery of empty rooms and twisting staircases. Dark and forbidden places all fascinate me.
From an early start, the French artist Rene Magritte had a major influence on my style and this was where my first inspiration for surrealism began.
My colour palette had often been referred and compared with that of Spanish artist Salvador Dali. I find this flattering to say the least. Peculiarly, I actually had not been influenced by him as I had never seen his paintings. I was indeed therefore surprised at the similarities.
My body of works are overall quite eclectic. But my main influences and inspirations are naturally drawn from the imaginative and magical world of surrealism.
When creating, I don’t particularly focus on one area of the painting, nor do I employ any methodology. I have a tendency to shift sporadically from one action to the next, one section to another, one colour to another. I have ADHD. Whilst this has many challenging impacts on my life, I truly believe that it has only positively enhanced my creativity.
My paintings are like my children. I can not retire to bed until I’ve checked and double checked in on them. I look at today’s progress, what’s good and what’s not so good.
Unheld to be improved and soothed. Only then can I go to sleep, to the land of dreams. This is where the magic happens, the changes, amendments and fresh ideas all come to fruition. The power of the mind is unbelievable.
Morning arrives and I am awakened by my children.
View my work