I was born in England and
worked as a newspaper reporter before serving in the Royal Artillery
for my national service. I wanted to go to Korea with my unit - I
mean, free travel and all - but wiser heads prevailed and I was
given a War Office job testing new recruits. I emigrated to Canada in
1956 and entered the photographic business, intending to make a
career out of my hobby. Surprisingly, I spent the following 40 years
in the photographic and audovisual industry in various senior
marketing positions. Eventually tiring of the corporate environment,
and foolishly forgoing the satisfaction of a regular paycheque, I
started my own digital imaging and creative production house in
Toronto, where I still live. I am married with three lovely
daughters.
Over the years, I've enjoyed working in various art forms, in addition to photography and computer graphics. In the late 1970s, I expanded a childhood love of scratching initials on school desks and assorted trees, and began wood carving. I joined the Ontario Wood Carvers Assocation (OWCA), studied with famed carving teachers Joe Dampf, Benoit Deschenes and Wayne Barton, and somehow developed my own style of interpretive carving. I probably wasn't paying attention. I was President of the OWCA during the 1980s, and edited their newsletter and website for several years. I showed my carvings in OWCA competitions and at the Canadian National Exhibition, and was completely ignored by the jurors.
I studied drawing at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2004 and subsequently moved to watercolour painting. Being a Brit, I figured this was the proper medium for me. I credit teacher Ruth Hayes with giving me assurance that I could handle this medium and Barry Coombs for introducing me to the finer points of brush handling, design and simplification. I have tried to pay attention. I have enjoyed workshops with Art Cunanan, Hi-Sook Barker, Doug Mays and Marc Gagnon, each of whom has been very patient.
I am very fortunate to have discovered a friendly and supportive environment within the art clubs that have accepted me as a member.
Over the years, I've enjoyed working in various art forms, in addition to photography and computer graphics. In the late 1970s, I expanded a childhood love of scratching initials on school desks and assorted trees, and began wood carving. I joined the Ontario Wood Carvers Assocation (OWCA), studied with famed carving teachers Joe Dampf, Benoit Deschenes and Wayne Barton, and somehow developed my own style of interpretive carving. I probably wasn't paying attention. I was President of the OWCA during the 1980s, and edited their newsletter and website for several years. I showed my carvings in OWCA competitions and at the Canadian National Exhibition, and was completely ignored by the jurors.
I studied drawing at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2004 and subsequently moved to watercolour painting. Being a Brit, I figured this was the proper medium for me. I credit teacher Ruth Hayes with giving me assurance that I could handle this medium and Barry Coombs for introducing me to the finer points of brush handling, design and simplification. I have tried to pay attention. I have enjoyed workshops with Art Cunanan, Hi-Sook Barker, Doug Mays and Marc Gagnon, each of whom has been very patient.
I am very fortunate to have discovered a friendly and supportive environment within the art clubs that have accepted me as a member.
"After spending many years working with technology and computer graphics, I find painting and carving pleasing to the soul. As with wood carving, I am not a realist, preferring to interpret the natural world in an abstract/impressionist fashion. The painters who inspire me include Jeanne Carbonetti, Charles Reid. Alvaro Castagnet, Joseph Zbukvic and the Welsh painter David Bellamy”.
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