Born in Shrewsbury in 1976 I am the eldest of twin boys. Being
the son of a doctor and a nurse, I always felt in safe hands right from
the start. My artistic flare may well have been passed down from my
mother's side. She was one of a family of ten children. Music and art
was a central part of growing up in Dublin. My grandfather was from five
generations of tailors and trained in Saville Row to become a bespoke
tailor. He had three shops in Ireland, one of which was in historical
Kilmainham, Dublin. On my father's side, my grandfather was an
industrial designer and skilled draughtsman. Thus the fabric of the
artist was woven!
I can remember drawing from an early age, and was first introduced
to oil painting at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire. I revelled in the
fact that I could make my indelible mark on my own canvas, just like the
great painters before me. Hundreds of hours were spent in the 'Art
Room', where I learnt many of the techniques I use today. I was given a
great freedom in my art classes and achieved grade A's in GCSE and
A-level Art & Design. Moving to Birmingham, I successfully completed
a BTEC National Diploma in Art & Design at Bourneville Art College.
In the time waiting for the paint to dry, I found that music and
song writing was another creative output for me. I formed a guitar band
and spent a few years performing all over the UK and Ireland. Music is
still an abiding passion of mine. However I found myself continually
drawn back to the canvas, and in 2002 I threw myself into my art and
dedicated all my time into developing my own unique style that I hope
will eventually lead me to stand out from the current leading artists of
the world. After successfully exhibiting and selling my work in some
carefully chosen galleries around the country, I later had the
opportunity to show five new pieces at the Autumn Fair in Birmingham
2004. This was my opportunity to get a first hand reaction from art
collectors, galleries and many of the larger publishing houses. I was
overwhelmed with such a great response to my work and this was a huge
boost to my confidence. After meeting Glyn Washington and his team, I
felt that Washington Green were the right company to launch me onto the
main stage. Enjoy!
