I like doing landscapes & naturally I have focused on decpicting places close to home, wherever that has been at the time.


I was schooled, & from age 12 grew up in, a large village in the South of Northumberland called Ponteland. There are several sights there striking enough to draw/paint, but I think this is my favourite of those I did, one of the well-known pubs near the village centre:

The Blackbird, Ponteland [full size]

  • Black rollerball pen
  • Circa 2011
  • 210 × 297 mm ('A4')

A prominent pub in the village I went to school in & lived as a teenager.

Sold ~2011.

Pont is ~15 km south-east(ish) from the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne which naturally I spent a lot of time in as a child & teenager. If people ask me where I am from usually I will just say Newcastle since not many people (in my experience at least) from outside of the North East can place Northumberland on the map. Most in the UK will probably have some familiarity with the iconic Quayside and the bridges there, a view which was a very natural candidate to draw:

Panorama: Newcastle-Gateshead Quayside [detail]

  • Black ballpoint, rollerball & felt-tip pens
  • Circa 2010
  • 165 x 890 mm

A panoramic drawing of the city I was born in with its neighbouring town to the south of the river, Gateshead.

Sold ~2010.

I went to university also in the North East of England, slightly further South again in the beautiful city of Durham. You are spolit for choice for lovely sights in Durham, not least the incredible iconic cathedral, but my favourite artwork of mine of Durham is definitely a painting I did of my college, St Chad's. For one because the college sold prints of it so when I visit university friends I often see it up on their walls. That always makes me really happy.

St Chad's College, Durham [cropped]

  • Watercolour
  • August 2013
  • 210 x 522 mm

A panoramic painting of my alma mater, St Chad's College of Durham University, viewed along North Bailey facing southwards.

Donated to St Chad's.

I moved to Exeter for work and have since moved to Reading. I didn't find Exeter very exciting visually. There is a cathedral there which I could've drawn or painted but it never felt interesting enough to start on (Durham has spoilt me in that respect). Dartmoor is relatively close to Exeter however and obviously very easy on the eye so I have some paintings of that which I am (slowly) working on. And I have lots of candidates for Reading landscapes lined up when I am at a stage I can start on something new...