I am an ex-firefighter who grew up in Shirebrook in the coalfields of Derbyshire, UK, when coal was still a powerful industry. It was normal then for a coal miner's son like me to view art as something only open to other people, but not me. To my regret, although I have loved painting since before I can remember, I never seriously considered it as a viable career. So I did something else with the first part of my working life and art became a private passion rather than my public persona. I graduated in Economics from the University of Birmingham in 1976 and, after a brief spell in finance, I went on to complete over 30 years in the UK fire & rescue service. Although I never really stopped painting I only turned fully to art after my retirement in 2008. Only then, having already brought up a family and completed a demanding & full career, could I find the time I needed to devote to it. Artistically I am almost entirely self taught with no formal training beyond school. I still consider myself to be a student practicing art and probably I always will. That is not a problem to me because in my own eyes I will never reach a point where I can feel “I am now an artist”. But then I have always approached art as more about the journey than end product, so I am comfortable with that. I consider myself a contemporary artist who paints in a traditionalist manner. My greatest aspiration is to develop a signature style that is recognisably my own, but for any of it to mean something to someone else and to give lasting pleasure is the ultimate payback. I am always trying to exhibit more so I can share my work ...... but it’s not the reason I paint, it never was. Painting just calms my soul, it's my private world. It has to be that way, or it wouldn’t work for me. At the moment I don’t have preferred subject matter. Instead my imagination is fired by the unexpected in everyday things, or by a memory, or even by words – particularly poetry. Sometimes just part of a remembered image - perhaps something simple like sunlight playing on a hat brim - can be enough. There is a certain strength or beauty inside everything if you look hard enough – it doesn’t have to be something intrinsically pretty, or attractive or especially worthy of attention. Quite often it is better if it isn’t. My work can be seen from time to time in numerous galleries in and around my home county of Derbyshire – and recently in London too - and it continues to attract interest from private collectors around the world. CV - recent events Apr 2014 – “From firefighter to artist” 1st Solo Exhibition, Rainbow Gallery, DH Lawrence Heritage Centre, Eastwood, Nottingham March 2015 - Solo exhibition, Leabrooks Arts Complex, Alfreton, Derbys April 2016 – “Looking to the stars” Group Exhibition, Brick Lane Gallery Annexe, London (Hornshaw Gallery) July - Sept 2016 - "Everyone" Group Exhibition, Derby Museum & Art Gallery Aug 2016 - Midlands Open Art Exhibition 2016, Tarpey Gallery, Castle Donington, Derbys Sept 2017 - Founder member Derbyshire Artists' Guild Sept 2017 - shortlisted Columbia Threadneedle Art Prize 2018 Nov 2017 - Great Sheffield Art Show, Millenium Gallery, Sheffield Dec 2017 - Inaugural Group Exhibition, Derbys Artists' Guild, Baslow, Derbys Feb 2019 - Solo exhibition, West Studios, Sheffield Road, Chesterfield Nov 2019 - Great Sheffield Art Show 2019, Open exhibition, July 2020 - exhibition finalist “Self”, Espacio Gallery, Bethnal Green Rd, London E2 7DG Sept/Nov 2020 - exhibitor at Harley Gallery Open art competition Oct/Dec 2020 - exhibitor at ING Discerning Eye Exhibition July/Nov 2021 - exhibitor at Summer/Autumn/Winter Exhibitions, D31 Gallery, Doncaster Jan/Feb 2022 - exhibitor at Royal Cambrian Academy Open Exhibition, Conwy June 2022 - Salon Contemporary Arts, Derby, Summer Exhibition June/Aug 2022 - Royal Academy, London, Summer Exhibition