I was born in Lurgan, Ireland in 1956. I began my painting career at the tender age of four, and was enormously encouraged by the reaction of my mother, to my somewhat immature efforts. This led to me practicing my watercolour technique to a degree not usually seen in one so young, with the aim of astonishing my parents still further. I sold my first painting at the age of twelve, and immediately spent the money on a set of oil paints. My art teacher instilled a solid sense of composition and design, but it was the renowned landscape artist Cecil Maguire, a friend of my father since childhood, who guided me through my early years as an oil painter, instilling a love of classical technique. Early influences were Salvador Dali and Monet.