As a newbie I thought I would explain who I am and what I do.The aim of this blog is, hopefully, to get my work seen by more people. So here goes.
Art
has been a part of my life since childhood; at the heart of everything from
illustrations for my children’s bedtime stories to using my drawing skills throughout
my career. Now art is my love and my profession.
I
have been painting and drawing since I was a young boy. Initially, my interest lay
with nature - animals, birds and landscapes. I suppose I had an idyllic childhood,
free to roam the fields with my friends and enjoy many sports. Through it all however,
drawing was always very close by and has been the one thing that has been a
constant in my life. I find I can express myself and explain things much better
through art than with language.
I’ve
always been very practical, making things – always using my hands. I became an
electrician, engineer and manager and used my drawing skills to convey
understanding as part of my daily working life. And when I had time I would escape
to sketch and draw for fun – with a pocket sketchbook and pencil always to hand.
As
a father of nine it was only natural that the subject of my passion for art
would come out through my life with my family. As my family grew I dabbled in
pictures to entertain the children, bringing characters and stories to life. As
both my passions in life merged I had the desire to capture my children and
memories of them with drawings and my art. So in time the subject matter for my
pieces evolved.
Most
of my work has been of subjects that are close to me; my family and friends -
with portraits as the main theme, often as gifts with requests for the
occasional commission
The
question is though - did I consider myself to be an artist? I think not. I have
always seen myself as more of a student. I love art and am continuously
learning and growing each day. I’ve spent decades visiting and appreciating art
galleries and exhibitions – always seeking out art wherever I happen to be. I
regularly visit the National Gallery and the Portrait Gallery, and like to go
to special exhibitions. But still, to this day, my favourite gallery of all time
is the Mall Gallery in London as it captures the essence of the English art scene,
which is close to my heart.
In
2011, I entered my first competition, The
Lancelot Andrewes Awards at Southwark Cathedral London (19th to
30th September 2011). With the theme of ‘Alienation’ I entered a
piece called “El Rio” and was awarded a High Commendation and my artwork was
exhibited. This had a profound effect on me as I realised that I might just be
a ‘real’ Artist!
Since then, I have regularly exhibited
my work locally and entered national competitions. This year I was pre-selected
for the Royal Portrait Exhibition and the Threadneedle Prize at the Mall
Galleries. I feel it is only a matter of time and hard work before I fulfill my lifelong
dream and ambition to see my own work exhibited in the Mall.
Sharing my love for art with others and
continuing to better myself and my understanding of how art can help others is
a new passion for me too. I run Portrait workshops at Beach Creative in Herne
Bay with my wife and support vulnerable adults with art sessions at the Umbrella
group.
Whether that makes me an artist or not
is for others to decide, but art is now my life, my passion and my profession
and - my business card says I am, so I must be!
