I was born and raised in Somerset as part of a large family. Being the eldest I often amused myself by painting and drawing, although in those days it was felt tip pens and poster paints! Living in a small village, I was surrounded by horses and ponies, which developed my fascination with the animal kingdom. Artistically, horses were my first subject, primarily as a way of fulfilling my dreams of having my own pony. After many years of riding other people’s ponies, my parents realised my dedication and bought me a pony. After finishing school I went to the Somerset College of Art and Technology, where I completed a two-year course in Design and Clothing Manufacture. In 1990, having decided to pursue a career in equestrian art, I moved to Newmarket, Suffolk – this being the core of the country’s flat racing industry – it seemed the most obvious choice. By day I worked as a stable hand, riding out and grooming the horses; by night I would paint them. I worked hard to gain as much reference and knowledge as I possibly could, which ultimately led to me taking on commissions. After several years, I had the opportunity to move to Dubai, UAE, where the horse racing industry was rapidly expanding. It was at this point that I decided to concentrate on becoming a full-time artist and my career began to flourish with an increase in commissions and the popularity of my work in galleries. It was in Dubai that I found my Spaniel, Toby, who now lives with me in Somerset. In 1997, after a long holiday in England, I decided to move back and fulfil my ultimate ambition of becoming a successful artist in my own country. In effect, my career started again, only painting dogs rather than horses. I spent as much time around them as I could, studying and painting them. I now have a rather new addition to my family, a Black Labrador named Friday, who along with Toby, is the inspiration for a lot of my work. After a meeting with Glyn Washington in the year 2000, I joined Washington Green as a canine artist and have since had over 14 of my paintings published.