‘As a practitioner teacher I have enjoyed an immensely rewarding career so far. From exhibiting in New York, Boston and Germany to welcoming superstars Gilbert and George into my home with my family at the inauguration of the infamous ‘Toilet Gallery’. My professional career as an artist has been unusual, varied and continues to excite.
Trained at the Slade School home of my boyhood hero Stanley Spencer (my studio was downstairs, around the corner from the toilets he used to use – variously). Taught by Reg Butler and his gifted team I was fortunate to receive some of the most incisive but understated tuition possible.
Working with students myself nothing makes me prouder than when they achieve personal success. It thrills me to death! I love the day to day game of educational ping pong where tutor and student bounce ideas off each other – can there be anything more rewarding?
I’m currently working on a series of floor pieces that are a marriage of my love for football and my drive to produce my artworks. I am in the process of planning and exhibition in Hiroshima, Japan, at the ‘Incinerator Gallery which is likely to involve the use of molten lead as a drawing tool to produce floor based molten drawings of iconic footballing figures George Best, David Beckham and Syunsuke Nakamura. The drawings will be as transient as a moment in time when athlete and ball produce wonder in a 13 year old lad’s life. The drawings will come and go, be swept away to leave no tangible record, just a memory of a magical moment. I am blessed in that all I enjoy has been encouraged, all that I have taught has (mostly) been listened to and all those I love have given me time to indulge my various passions from opening a gallery in a toilet to producing artworks that frankly may have been good, bad or indifferent, who cares, either way they are mine!’
Selected Exhibitions:
2005 Lock in Toilet Gallery London
2001 Self Portraits Flowers East Gallery London
1996 Art Expo New York
1994 Witness Bosnia The Riechstag, Germany
1991 Best of Britain Sheraton Galleries, Boston