curriculum vitae

Still from the opera performance 'The Changing Room' at Merevale Hall 2013

I was born in Shepton Mallet, Somerset in1942, studied Ceramics and Lithography at Brighton School of Art from1958-63. My ambitions always lay with painting but I studied two crafts as practical disciplines and to avoid the prevailing ‘three figure compositions' promoted in the painting school at that time, left over at that time from the old Arts and Crafts Movement in most Art Schools. I also wanted to find out if I would still make paintings when I did not have to.

I was eventually Head of Masters Degree in Fine Art at Brighton University, retiring in 2008. Before that I was Visiting Professor at the University of Washington in 1970, visiting lecturer and External Examiner at a number of British Art Schools including the Royal College of Art, Middlesex Polytechnic Norwich, Winchester, Wimbledon and Chelsea Schools of Art.

I gained international recognition with my works in many public and private collections including The British Museum, Birmingham City Art Gallery, De Beers collection, Steelcase Design Partnership, N.Y, Henry Gallery, Seattle and York City Art Gallery.

I received the Linbury Trust award in 1977 to travel in Mexico and Guatemala. I was awarded a prize in the Chichester National Art Exhibition 1975 and was selected by John McEwen for the 'Critics Choice' exhibition at the ICA, also the Athena International Awards in 1987 and also regularly included in the John Moores Liverpool exhibitions.

I came to prominence in the late 60s and 70s having been helped by Edward Lucie-Smith through his initiative with a studio shows event that he organised. The work in this show resulted in my being represented by the Redfern Gallery that had a reputation for showing radical abstract art at that time. I continued to show with the Redfern Gallery until 1990, having decided to follow a more widely investigative and intuitive career responding to the experience and stimulations of the world unconstrained by commerce. The Redfern had changed in the kind of art that it wanted to show so the feeling was probably mutual, we never formally cut our ties.

I recently collaborated with Bruce Mclean and Sam Belinfante on a chamber 'opera, performance work' entitled "The Changing Room" at Leeds City Art Gallery having made the original production for Merevale Hall in Warwickshire.  I made two solo travelling shows entitled 'Limber Gym' exploring the fetish of self-improvement and the 'must haves' of the 21st Century following on from the show at the Meter Room in Coventry organised by Daniel Pryde-Jarman . I continue to paint and to add to these devotional works so that 'Limber Gym' can keep abreast of the latest liturgy.

2016