Born in Derby, England in 1954, Brereton is a self-taught painter who received his basic art training at Derby's Joseph Wright Art School. In 1979, he became a professional artist, specialising in marine subjects because of his life-long love of ships and the sea. He usually works in oils; his favourite subject being deep water sailing ships of the nineteenth century. His work has been influenced by artists such as Montague Dawson and Thomas Somerscales and by living for a time by the sea on the south coast of England. His work is recorded and illustrated in Denys Brook-Hart's book, '20th Century British Maritime Painting' and E.H.H. Archibald's 'Dictionary of Sea Painters of Europe and America'. He has exhibited at The Royal Society of Marine Artists in London and in the West End, as well as many galleries throughout the country. His pictures can be found in private collections in the UK, Eire, Belgium, Oman, Japan and the USA.