I began my career as a trainee signwriter at a sign and scenic company in Norfolk, England. After receiving my qualifications I became a member of their sign department producing a wide variety of hand written work including large posters, vehicles, shop fronts and real estate signage.
The early 1990's saw the rapid growth of theme and fun parks throughout the United Kingdom and Europe and so I moved to the scenic department where I was tasked with airbrushing three dimensional props, made and illustrated scale models of proposed rides and produced themed dimensional signage.
I became self employed in 2001 and while continuing to sub contract to several scenic companies gradually built a reputation for high quality specialist signage such as reverse glass gilded window work and sandblasted signs.
Building the business further I carried out several portrait commissions and it was this that made me wonder if it would be possible to paint a portrait on the rear of glass. I had hand painted hundreds of shop windows in such a manner, writing letters in reverse from the inside of the shop so they read correctly from the outside, so why not a portrait?
Working from high quality digital photographs as reference I began, over a three year period, to experiment with various painting techniques, paints, and even different types of glass, later adding metal leaf as my highlight colour which, as far as I'm aware, makes them delightfully unique.
Metals reflect light in a different way to enamels and so the finished work alters slightly in appearance as the light of day changes, as if changing moods where moving across the face.