Born in 1948 in Sudbury Hill, Middlesex, my earliest ambition was to pursue a career in fine art painting. But three years at art college resulted in a transition from the "Still" to the "Moving" image that led to a career in the film and TV industry, which spanned more than thirty years.
For over twenty years, New Malden in Surrey has been the home for myself, my wife and two sons. This is the base from which I have been increasingly occupied with setting down on paper, local scenes of historical architecture set in their own surroundings, within an area rich in subject matter.
Composition and the feeling of being drawn into the picture by the use of foreshortening, diagonals and unusual viewpoints, are the key elements to my work.
I use mainly pen, ink and watercolour with which I try to achieve a feeling of history by showing the wear and tear of time on these subjects.
My areas of interest include locations such as the River Thames, Kingston, Richmond, Twickenham, Hampton, Molesey, Barnes and Richmond Park.
The subject matter is fairly diverse, from landscapes such as the view from Pembroke Lodge Gardens and the famous viewing corridor to St Paul's Cathedral, (both from Richmond Park) to old pubs and buildings that no longer exist but have an important history attached to them.
One such example is the famous Eel Pie Island Hotel on Eel Pie Island, Twickenham. Here in the 1950s and 60s, it became a major local venue for trad jazz and R&B. Many musicians famous today, cut their teeth here, such as the Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck etc, etc. Although the hotel no longer exists, the memories for many, linger on.
One of my latest projects has been a pen, ink and watercolour of Twickenham Stadium (The Home of England Rugby). it was over a year in the making and proved a great challenge, technically stretching me in all directions!
The initial idea came from Michele Whitby who manages "Par Ici" in Church Street Twickenham, a shop selling the work of local artists and craftspeople. (Here, other subjects I have painted in and around Richmond and Twickenham, are available for sale.)
It was Michele that suggested this iconic venue as a subject that could be of interest to rugby supporters, now that it has been expanded to an 82,000-seat stadium.
The great idea for dressing up the supporters in different national and International rugby team colours, came from Mick Hodson a Fine Art Printer and Digital Artist, based in Whitton, who has printed all my work over the past three years. This enabled me to emphasize the iconic importance of the stadium within the World of Rugby, especially as it will be staging a number of the 2115 World Cup matches, including the final.
So, without these all important contributions this picture would never have evolved the way it did. In a way, it was a team effort and so many thanks to them both!
There were times I felt that I couldn't pull this off and that I lacked the ability to complete it. It became a massive learning curve. But I stuck it out and all in all, I am very pleased with the result. It took me out of my comfort zone and potentially into new territory. Prints and cards of "Twickenham Stadium" are available from Par Ici, The Framing Company in Fife Road, Kingston Upon Thames, as well as this website.
My other artwork has also been translated into limited edition Giclee prints, postcards, and greetings cards along with new photographic postcards, depicting local areas of interest.
Other outlets for my work can be found at Visitor Information Centres, (Including the recently opened centre at Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park) museums and framing/gallery outlets in Kingston and Richmond.
A comprehensive display of my work can be seen on this website and is frequently updated.
Hanmedia Limited was set up in 2005 which publishes and markets my work.
I have had the added bonus of taking on the occasional commission, which has given me fresh challenges which are necessary for me to keep learning and hopefully, improve!
Many thanks for your time in reading this profile and I hope you will enjoy browsing through the galleries.