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A bit of reading if interested..............
Born in St Helens, Lancashire, England in 1954. The single least arty town on the planet!
Always had a talent for drawing/painting from an early age and always came 1st at art in my class at school. I remember visiting the Headmaster's office with my mother, to qualify for 'free school dinner's' after the death of my father at the age of 9, which left us destitute, and seeing one of my paintings in a frame on the wall behind his desk! What happened to copyright????
Urged by several teachers to go on to art school - after high school, this idea was refused point blank by my mother, who told me to stop dreaming and get a proper job! This I did….. and became an apprentice Bricklayer at 15… [Artists didn’t exist in my world]. This was too much like hard work, so I joined the RAF (Royal Air Force) still aged 15, as an aeronautical engineer and became a 'propulsion technician' (engine bloke). I was (apparently) smarter than I thought!
Left the RAF when I was 30, but not before being `poisoned` by a job I did in 1977, in Malta, which involved crawling around inside fuel-tanks on Nimrods, to fix fuel leaks. I was unaware of the toxicity of this job at the time!
In 1985 whilst working in Oman I developed testicular cancer with a 'secondary' in the lung!!! All down - it transpired - to THAT job, I subsequently learned of in 2006. I had 11 cycles of chemotherapy, and a thoracotomy, with 4 bouts of septicaemia to boot….. But; survived! JUST!
Thinking I might not live for much longer, despite being `cured` I decided to have a go at being an artist with a fresh start in Australia in 1988.
I always painted the sea after being inspired by a `Readers Digest` article I saw whilst in Malta in 1977 showing paintings by Jack Spurling and Montague Dawson, aided by my Grandfather who was a `Master Fisherman` from Liverpool…. And a Viking from way back. He used to tell me tall tales and true of big fish and bigger seas when I was 5 or so, and this must have stuck with me ever since because I have always loved the sea.
10 years ago I specialised in painting billfish [marlin] and have been mainly painting them ever since, although I like to paint anything that takes my fancy. Marlin are the birds of paradise of the sea, and I couldn’t remotely paint the brilliant [unreal] colours they `electrify` when they get excited….. But it’s fun trying!
I paint in oils, but have been steadily introducing acrylics in my under painting.
My favourite artists are;
John Singer Sargent, Thomas Somerscales, Alma-Tadema, Russel Flint, Winslow Homer, Stanley Meltzoff, Arthur Streeton and Bonnington…. To name a few.
My artwork is in `collections` all over the world… including half of the ex-Indonesian cabinet run by Sueharto in the 90`s. His daughter has one or two apparently.
Poor old Lord Black has one too, and I was wondering if he may take it to put on his wall in gaol?!
George Bush senior has a couple of my prints [he`s a keen fisherman].
And whilst in the RAF - I was commissioned to paint a `lightning` for Sir Frederick Page who was the boss of British Aerospace in the 80`s.
I had throat cancer in 1993.… thanks to the RAF again, but it was a breeze compared to my 1st one… It returned last year (2007) in the same place, and it/they [tumours] were removed this time using a laser; which has consequently left me barely able to speak.
These illnesses are the reason I paint full-time and live for the day.
I was a former member of the `Australian Society of Marine Artists'
Our [the UK] most celebrated artist is Turner, who is much revered… and if you check out his paintings in the Clore gallery, you may see that he was rubbish…. Being totally unable to represent the human figure in any form. The frames are worth more than the actual paintings! It appears that an artist is only 'brilliant' when the critics say so.......in his case; Ruskin!
Just recently; a Lucien Freud oil of a fat woman naked on a sofa sold for £17,500,000!!!!!!!!?
I should have explored being a bricklayer more thoroughly…
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