The world of dance, classical ballet &   Opera   feature mainly in my art, inspired by my lifelong love of theatre. 

  I graduated from Blackpool School of Art, in the late fifties &   then through the sixties and seventies   worked for magazines and national newspapers including The Manchester Guardian -   I came to London   and began a career as an art director   in advertising and television, while continuing with my books and illustration for major agencies - Young & Rubicam, J.Walter Thompson,   amongst others.   During this time, I also had the opportunity to study for some years at Camden Arts Centre , influenced by tutor Carribean painter Aubrey Williams, who inspired   my love of vibrant colours, the theme of much of his   work   interpreting the music of Shostakovitch .

In the eighties, influenced by my background I was drawn back to the performing arts.

Covent Garden became a magnet and   classical ballet was now the focus of my activity.   I began to be included on   lists to attend rehearsals of small dance companies, graduating with experience to have invitations to     all the major   companies:- The Royal Ballet, The Kirov, ENB and the Bolshoi. For me,   dance expressed in art is about energy and emotion. One line can sometimes express just that.   A splash of colour will enhance the drama, be it passion, joy, anger or despair. A Kenneth MacMillan ballet has all those qualities in abundance, while those of Frederick Ashton are full of romantic charm and elegance , no less intense, and wonderful as a subject to paint.   It goes without saying, the opera has been a parallell source of inspiration for me, so rich again in the narrative   subject matter. I am fortunate to have opportunities to draw some of the greatest dancers and singers in the world today.  

Theatre has also given me the chance to   draw at performances   of West End plays-The Theatre Royal Haymarket have featured several of my exhibitions in recent years.  

Drawing live in front of a TV camera presented me with one of my greatest challenges   ! It taught me many valuable lessons and I also I had the advantage of working with a superb team, particularly, TV producer, Dick Foster, who gave me some much needed confidence!

In the BBC2 film entitled, 'Making Their Mark' (1990) I am seen in action drawing dancers as well as soldiers on manoeuvres - a reconstruction of my graphics for NewsNight's coverage of The Falklands War.   I experienced something of what it was like to endure the cold and bleakness of the Norfolk landscape, where those young recruits were   going through their arduous   training for   a not far distant war. I followed them with my sketchbook-through the woods, gunfire ringing in my ears- keeping up as fast as I could... but, it's all in the film, and I hope to show it on the site eventually!       This site is still being developed and there will be more images as I add new pages where you can see past, present and   new work in progress.