I would like, at this point to say hello and welcome to all of the friends who have enquired about myself and my work and have been directed here. Also to those who have arrived here by accident.

Hello and Welcome

This site is solely dedicated to stuff about me: potted biography, paintings, photographs etc. along with anything else that I think might be of interest to the general visitor.

My Background

I was born in Cornwall, the South West tip of the UK, and lived there all of my life, until May 2000, when I moved north . My home town was  the small fishing port, of Mevagissey, situated more or less at the mid-point of the south coast of the county. I had a pretty basic schooling up to the age of fifteen, then drifted from one dead end job to another for about fourteen years. Having been sacked, by a particularly unpleasant employer, I decided to fill my time between jobs by painting, something I have always enjoyed. As the period of unemployment extended, and more and more people asked if my paintings were for sale, it finally dawned on me that I could make a living doing something I enjoyed for a change.
In 1992 I decided that it was time to do something about my relative lack of education and embarked upon a degree course with the Open University (a distance learning institution). Seven years and lots of blood, sweat and tears later I achieved my ultimate goal a BA (Hons). This is an achievement I am proud of because it is something that I did unaided, learning a lot about myself in the process.

My Interests

I suppose that the best way of getting to know someone is to explore their interests. My first love is art, and one of my favourite paintings is "The Toilet of Venus" ("The Rokeby Venus") by Diego Velazquez. I believe it to be one of the most beautiful images I have ever seen. I also love the Impressionists, Turner, and many, many other artists but I do not have a lot of time for some contemporary art. Although there is some good stuff being produced, most of it is, in my opinion, pretentious rubbish.

Musically, my natural preference is for classical music, but I also love an eclectic selection of other music ranging from the big bands of the 30's and 40's to some of the pop music of the late 70's early 80's. I do have a particular passion for traditional jazz, and can think of nothing finer to kill some time than good beer, good company and a good jazz band playing. One of my favourite singers is Nat King Cole, and one of my favourite songwriters John Lennon. If I had to select my, all-time favourite piece of music, it would be the Canon in D by Pachelbel. If I had to select an all time favourite song, it would probably be "Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks.

 

I am an avid reader, and will read virtually anything, but my preference is for fantasy. Having discovered the author Terry Pratchett, and his Discworld novels, I am totally hooked. The man is a genius who has a way of looking at everyday things and then turning them on their head, or even inside out, a way of somehow making you think differently about them.
 

Like most, I suppose, it could be said that I enjoy the odd libation. The discoverer of alcohol should be posthumously awarded the Nobel Prize, in whatever category is appropriate. If you also like good beer and better food then click here for a few places that might be of interest to the visitor (the locals know about them already).

This is just a quick overview of my background and interests, which cover such a wide and varied range that they could fill a large volume if I tried to cover everything.