When I left school I couldn't see how I was going to fit in. In my lighter moments it did cross my mind that due to some terrible error in the Admin. department I had been sent to the wrong planet. I did try and fulfill the 'expectations' of my education and trained as a surveyor - but it just wasn't me. My heart wasn't in it. So I decided to have a good look around and see how other cultures coped. Over ten years I travelled extensively in Africa, Europe and the Far East. Earning money alternatively as a freelance photographer (with clients including Yves Saint Laurent, the BBC and various overseas charities) and as a gardener (with clients including Mr & Mrs Dilley and the nice lady from the Post Office). I was 32 years old before I even articulated the thought that I wanted to be a painter, but when I did - actually say it out loud - I knew that was what I wanted to do and set about teaching myself. I was living in the south of France then and loved it but after visiting Suffolk I felt that this was where I wanted to paint. I moved here in 1994 and have worked full time as an artist ever since. It took me a while but I can now apologise for wrongly accusing the Admin. department. It seems that they did get it right after all.
	When I am out in the countryside I am often 'stopped in my tracks' by what I see around me. Sometimes it is obvious - the beauty of a sunset or the reflection of the full moon on the sea at night - but at other times it is less clear. In both cases I feel a 'connection' and it is these moments that are the inspiration for my paintings. They are an expression of what I see and what I love.