Mum handed me a kid’s biro drawing of a car. It had a bonnet, a roof, wheels, windows, the lot. It was dated 1977. She said I did it — at twelve months old. I’m not sure how I did it. I mean, I couldn’t do much better at 47. But then I was probably more of a car person 46 years ago.

Point is, I had an unusual aptitude for art. And I loved it all: the smell of the six-circle poster paints; the chimney-sweep paint brushes; the endless possibilities. I’ve drawn and painted ever since. Skill plus love plus time equals talent.

In my teens, I entered ‘The Leeds Show’ and competed with Yorkshire amateurs and professionals who could afford better frames than me and business cards. In the four years that I competed, I won first prizes in all categories — monochrome, pastels, watercolour and acrylics. I won ‘The Lewis’s Trophy’ for Best Artist in Show an unprecedented three times. Had I not put some last minute colour on a monochrome, I would have swept all four years. (It still hurts. If in doubt, put the brush down.)

I chose a literary route. I would paint in my spare time and be an English teacher. I got my first from Leeds, my PGCE, and headed back to the classroom. Since then, I’ve painted for pleasure and pocket money — landscapes, still lives, portraits — undertaken some freelance illustration, and taken on countless commissions through word of mouth. In my thirties, I pursued the possibilities of painting everything on a canvas and, in 2007, I invented the 360 painting. Now I want to make more of my talents. I want to make them better known.

So here I am, in the cathedral city of The Yorkshire Dales, Ripon. Having bought my first smartphone in 2021, I’m astonished that I’ve been able to make this website! I made it for a few reasons: to collate my work in one imperishable place; to share my art with a global audience; and to invite you art lovers out there to invest in great local artwork. Teaching four days a week in recent years, and a father of two beautiful boys who can now wipe and flush unassisted, I’m determined to devote more time to my first true love: making pictures. Enjoy!