I was born in 1960 in the small mining community of Spring a few miles outside the town of Kilmarnock, on the west coast of Scotland. Life in the small Scottish village was very traditional, and although I grew up in the 60's era was more like the 40's. My formative years were spent in the company of elders dressed in dark suits woodbines smoking was associated with a large missile in the form of women covered in the head and pinnies.
My father worked for British Rail and I have the great pleasure to simply sit in the atmosphere steam filling that until today I feel are the most romantic places to be nostalgic. Many of my most romantic paintings are described in the same atmosphere, I think I am just a big old-fashioned romantic nostalgia in the heart! Therefore it comes as no surprise to many that my favorite film is "The Quiet Man. '
I escaped the school in 1976 and finally fled Spring myself in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
This fall sleep to calm bustle of the city is like going from the frying pan directly into the fire. I found Newcastle had, and still has, a lot of characters known locally as' Gadgies ", which feeds my inspiration much later in life, when they finally discovered my destiny as an artist. After a series of different jobs finally established in 1988 to become a professional artist. I am completely self-taught and after many years of develop my own style in art, I turned to recall images of my childhood and premises used Tyneside 'Gadgies' as my models paintings.
The past two years have been particularly interesting as my work has taken on a life of its own. Sales have gone through the roof and everyone seems to be taking note of these figures alone think. I am continually surprised to see my paintings have effects on people, on many occasions I have had women moved to tears absorbed by a painting that evokes memories of his father or grandfather.
After a series of presentations to sell one of my paintings are part of the Daily Mail 'No to Turner Prize'. Ten thousand works were entered and my painting was chosen as one of the finalists to be exhibited at the Mall Galleries in London.
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