Biography and Interests

1985-86 I completed a Foundation Course at Kingston Polytechnic.
1986-89 I spent doing a B.A.Hons Degree in Graphic Design and Illustration at Norwich School of Art. Whilst there I was a runner-up in the Macmillan Children?s Book Prize and left college with the Noel Spencer Award in Topographical and Architectural Subjects.

Since graduating I have been working as a Freelance Illustrator providing work for a wide range of publishers, designers and magazines.
I also produce paintings for exhibition and sale, paint murals in public and private spaces and have been writing children's stories with the aim of publication.

Other arty things I have been involved in over the years include being part of a co-operative Art and Design shop when I lived in York in the early nineties. It was set up by The Young Business Project along with York Council and I sold papier mache sculptures, jewellery and hand painted wall-hangings.
I have also run occasional art workshops in schools and art centres down here in Dorset, incorporating storytelling, demonstrations and practical work.


ARTISTS AND ILLUSTRATORS I LIKE AND AM INFLUENCED BY:

Gwen Raverat, Eric Ravilious, Stanley Spencer, Anthony Green, Carel Weight, Christopher Wood, Alfred Wallis, Marc Chagall, Paul Nash, Sergio Bustamante, Raymond Briggs, Mary Fedden, Paul Klee, Richard Eurich, Denis Lowson, Harold Jones, Michael Foreman, David McKee, Carl Larsson, Joel Stewart, The Tjong King, Sheila McInnes and Reg Mombassa.

MUSIC I LIKE:

The Divine Comedy, Arcade Fire, Kate Bush, Muse, Roddy Frame, Tanya Donnelly, Talking Heads, Guillemots, Franz Ferdinand, Bjork, Blur, The Pixies, The Cardigans, Travis, The Smiths, Aimee Mann, The Manic Street Preachers and lots of others I can't remember at the moment.
Am listening to Arcade Fire's Neon Bible at the moment (mid-late April) which has turned out to be fantastic. Many weeks of avid listening ahead.
Listening especially to The Good, The Bad and the Queen at the moment, rather good indeed.

FAVOURITE AUTHORS AND BOOKS:

Kate Atkinson, 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum' especially and everything else apart from 'Emotionally Weird'.
Charles Dickens, all his books and especially 'David Copperfield', a book full of wonderful quotes about a life's journey, and here's one: 'Anything Steerforth, you could have done anything, reached the stars! Waste, waste. Waste all waste. Life asks more of us: demands it. It is not enough to be talented Steerforth, or beautiful Dora, or even simply loving: yes Mother, or even simply loving. We must be strong or else the gifts that God sends us into the world with will just fade and wither in the first cold wind that blows on us.'
Jeanette Winterson, 'The Passion' is one of my all time favourites with it's themes of history both epic and personal, symbolism, poetry, stories within stories and chickens. I also love most others though there are a couple of hers I couldn't finish with their overindulgent arty naval gazing.
'Gavin Maxwell, a Life' by Douglas Botting. I like people who are complex and seem to have lived about 20 different lifetimes in one and Gavin Maxwell was certainly one of them. Brilliant writing from an insider in his life too.
'The Crow Road' by Ian Banks, 'Birdsong' by Sebastian Faulkes (but not 'Charlotte Gray', so disappointing), 'The Horseman on the Roof' by Jean Giono, Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder, 'The Songlines' by Bruce Chatwin, 'Love in the Time of Cholera' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 'The Cider House Rules' by John Irving, 'Middlemarch' by George Elliot, 'The Blind Assassin' by Margaret Atwood.
Julian Barnes, Oscar Wilde, E. Annie Proulx and many more.

TV and FILMS

Not a huge amount of TV favourites but main ones that spring to mind are Northern Exposure, Heimat 1 and 2; amazing tv film-making and storytelling, The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin, Alan Partridge Travel Lodge series as well as the next one, Our Friends in the North, Spring Watch with Bill Oddie and friends, Bleak House tv versions 1985 and 2005. I don't watch as many films as I should but ones that spring to mind that I can watch over and over are Witness, The Ghost and Mrs Muir, Cannery Row, The Wizard of Oz, The Fisher King, Brazil, Amelie, The Shawshank Redemption, When Harry Met Sally, Star Wars (original films, I am old enough to have seen them all at the cinema starting age 10!) and more that I hope to remember to put down.

PERSONAL INTERESTS

My son, Louis, born summer 2005 (he takes a lot of interest!), my allotment which is the place I can just muck about with dirt, grow things and totally get away from everyday toils, reading when I can, sketching and finding out about new artists, visiting Cornwall all year round as well as other places, I used to mountainbike a lot and I intend to once again as soon as time allows, getting out and about in the fresh air, nature and countryside, birds, eating lovely food.