Drawing from the age of Four with a developing passion for ships and the Oceans, Whilst at junior school I would risk visiting the school library (which in the 1970's was out of bounds at break times) in order to find books with any pictures of ships which l quickly sketched in pencil, then later refine and reproduce at home. The stack of papers contained the drawings of around 1000+ ships, all side profile with detail and name. Pencil was used throughout my early life and from the age of eleven outlines would be drawn when using Acrylic paints for the first time. Learning to paint very quickly with the rapid drying Acrylics I then took the next step to using Oils from the age of thirteen. Once Oils had been experienced there was a bond with the fluidity, so much more time to blend seas and skies. Gradually the use of pencil to draw the image first before painting stopped, the paintings would from now on be created without guidelines, this method becoming much more rewarding. Any drawings I produced after my 20's were drawn with Ink, no allowance for rectifying mistakes...much more disciplined. Acrylics and Ink are still used when outdoors, practical and much less risk of damage to the picture compared to Oil. Many of the drawings are drawn outside on location and in the winter months. One has to work quickly to reduce the effects of being still for over an hour in the cold. A dripping nose has to be controlled as the drawing tends to be right underneath, threatening to smudge the drying Ink. The London Bridge drawings were especially challenging drawn on A3 paper one or two would take well over two hours. Always having the ability to form 'live' images in my mind whilst reading accounts from books I gradually developed from firstly making sketches then to be able to put the image from my mind straight onto canvas. The words I read transformed into Oil paint on canvas. This was prevalent whilst creating my Antarctic paintings. Developing further artistically with music to aid thought and creativity , I can almost paint the image subconsciously, as if painting itself is in control and I am simply the conduit....