About

Woman wearing a pair of round, patterned glasses against a plain background

About The Artist...

I first studied Fine Art at Newport College of Art, and then went on to complete a course in Typographic Design at what was then the London College of Printing. After that, life carried me into a long career in journalism and publishing, where words often took centre stage, but images were never far behind.

Upon leaving publishing, I decided to return more fully to where I had started: the visual arts. I picked up my brushes and pens again and followed the thread back to portraiture, storytelling and the quiet observation of faces.

For the past three years, I have been a resident artist at Unit 13 in Cambridge, where I work on personal projects and undertake commissioned portraits. My sitters have included academics, life models, friends, and those who simply want a record of themselves or a loved one that feels honest, human and alive.

On Portraits and Professors...

For me, a good portrait is never just about getting the nose in the right place. It should hold something of the sitter’s essence, their character, their preoccupations, perhaps even their reason for being. A likeness is the starting point, not the destination. Take this portrait, for example. Before you read on, you might like to ask yourself a question:

What do you think this man does for a living?

There’s a small clue in the lenses of his spectacles. If you look closely, you’ll see the reflection of an open book. His expression is utterly absorbed. He is one of those people who seems most fully alive when seated in a university library, surrounded by shelves and silence, reading arcane texts and making careful notes on some overlooked nuance in a dead language.

If you guessed “Cambridge academic”, you’d be quite right.

...and Pleasure

Many people wonder what the point of studying history or ancient languages is. Our professor would probably smile if he overheard that question (particularly if accompanied by an eye-roll). He might quietly quote Hegel’s remark that the only thing humanity has ever learnt from history is that we do not learn from history.

“So why do you do it, then?” you might ask.

“Because it gives me great pleasure,” he would reply.

That answer, in a way, is also mine. I draw and paint because it gives me great pleasure, and because it allows me to honour people like him: readers, thinkers, poets, models, friends, and strangers on the verge of becoming familiar.

If you would like to discuss a possible portrait commission, for yourself, a friend, or a family member, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

Kindly contact me here

For more of my story and opinions on art and artists, please read my "Thoughts" section

Thoughts