"Prior to retirement I was a software developer working predominantly on software for mainframe computers. While I always loved my chosen profession, it was not my first choice - I always wanted to do something art-related but circumstances were such that art was not an option. Trying to make up lost time is not easy. And I do know that I’ll never get to that happy state where what I see on my easel matches the vision in my mind but the effort is, in itself, exciting.

 

Apart from visual art I enjoy writing and have self-published a number of books including a children’s book and, in 2016, a fantasy about what my lazy, indoor cats do in their spare time. It turns out they time travel, visiting notable people from bygone days. With both books, the pictures came first and the text followed. Hopefully it’s evident which three illustrations on my page are from the fantasy book.

 

Walking is a passion of mine and this year I’m sketching local buildings that appeal to me.

 

Generally, my subject matter is people, animals, the built environment, or a mix of all three. For reasons of expediency, I started using charcoal and pastel pencils last

year and am still in love with this forgiving medium but the attraction of messing around with paint is calling so I’m looking for another new project."

 

Whilst every attempt is made to represent colour as closely as possible to the original work, variations can occur due to differences between the colour settings on the display device.