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My background is as a biomedical research scientist working in various universities since qualifying in biological sciences at the Universities of Durham, Nottingham and Birmingham. There followed periods of work as a research scientist and teacher at the Universities of New South Wales in Sydney, New York University Medical Center in Manhattan, and the University of Glasgow where I held a Personal Chair specialising in bacterial toxins. Using electron microscopy as a tool in my research on the structure and mode of action of bacterial toxins on cell membranes, it often revealed images of strong visual appeal. Inspired by these hidden structures and forms, it made me more determined than ever to invest more time in purely artistic endeavours once time allowed. After retiring from academia in 2001, I had the time to start acquiring more skills in painting by attending formal courses run by Glasgow University Department of Adult and Continuing Education and by attending annual residential courses in painting in oils run each year until 2018 by Colin Orchard, RBA. During the period 2001 to 2015, I was a member of Helensburgh Art Club and exhibited regularly at their exhibitions before moving to Devon in 2015. So far I have had only one solo exhibition in Helensburgh.
In terms of style, I like the loose painterly qualities of the works of the 19-20th century painters who were working between about 1880 and 1920, as well as more modern British artist such as Ken Howard, Bernard Dunstan, Edward Seago, Fred Cuming, Tina Morgan, and the scale and fleshiness of the work of Jenny Saville and the late Lucien Freud, not forgetting the dynamic portraits of Ken Paine.
As well as enjoying painting in oils, I find scupture gives me a more direct interaction with form and the nature of materials and have a number of works displayed on my gallery page (Room 4). Working in wood as well as steel and cement gives a wide choice of scale and subject matter. I admire the work of Alberto Giacometti, Andy Goldsworthy, and Anthony Gormley, as well as being inspired by works of the greats such as Rodin, Moore, Hepworth and Epstein.
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