Right from when mum and dad (who himself was an accomplished portrait artist), gave my brother and I pencils and paper, we began to draw and paint. At Clewer Green School I was further encouraged by the teachers who entered my paintings into the Brooke Bond National Travel Scholarship & Educational Awards – in 1965 I was awarded second prize for Junior Art, but a year later, got First Prize. Although each prize was a book, the latest one was about being an artist and was a personally signed copy by the artist himself! This recognition was all I needed to realise my dream of one day, becoming an artist.

So, painting became my passion throughout the remaining schooldays at Trevelyan, and after a year long struggle to get qualifications at East Berks College, I trod the streets of London to find work that could allow me to be creative.

At just seventeen years old, I got a job in Soho as a ‘stripper’! … a colloquialism for a Paste-up-artist. I knew from their interest in my art folder that I could get artwork jobs as well. Within weeks I received my first cartoon job – a leaving card. For the next several years, every special person got a special leaving card. Another realisation - how many special people there were in the world!

During this very influential period of my life, I continued to paint and draw, having artwork displayed in the public areas of the company, receiving commissions for portraits as well as my first exhibition on the Windsor & Eton Bridge on the first Saturday of every July, at which my first sales were to Eton College boys and someone who worked for Puffin Books who bought 2 puffin pastel drawings.

These formative years paved the way into a lifelong adventure through the exciting world of art. From which I gained 36 years knowledge and experience of talking with customers and providing what they want – whether a cartoon, painting or design.