Rich, is he an artist, or isn't he?  Whilst it is true that I've completed and sold a few commissioned portraits & pictures, and certainly true that I am struggling, and I don't yet have the cheek to fully adopt the soubriquet artist.  Just how many commissions I will need to complete before I am comfortable with the idea?  I haven't decided yet; perhaps never?  Or maybe after I've sold a few original works?  Who can say?

Either way, I enjoy drawing and painting in watercolour and there are a number of examples of my work here on the site.  I am also happy to consider private commissions in pencil/graphite; I work from photograph and you can contact me at the email address shown on the About Me page. Check out the gallery to see what I can do.

I was a Windows application developer for 8 - 10 years working for a number of software houses including: Dr Solomon's [until Network Associates bought them out], BBS/Encoda Systems, OMRON.

Initially  C++, latterly C#.

I no longer work in this field but maintain an interest and occasionally fiddle about with my own projects, although to be truthful, as my interest in artwork has increased, this area of my life has come to seem a good deal less important.

After Dr Solomon's sold out and having declined Network Associates offer of e new job in California, I took a year out to pursue my hobbies.  At that time, desktop composition was just starting to become more accessible to the hobbyist;  Echo/Event had just released their 20bit Layla box, Stienberg were about to release Cubase VST and I happened to have time on my hands and a few quid to spend.  I had always had an interest in music.  In Southampton, at the age of 14, back around 1977/8 I got into a band with some friends.  We called ourselves Catch 22 which was our first big mistake; there have been many Catch 22's and none of them have been successful.  We gigged around for about 6-7years on and off and with various personnel, but generally the three core members were myself, Phil Odgers aka Swill, and Paul Simmonds, and later on Phil's brother Jon who I'd been at school with. Incidentally, those three went on to become The Men They Couldn't Hang whom some of you will have heard of; but that's another story.  The height of Catch 22's career came during The Clash 16-Tons tour in the late 70's when we supported at both Portsmouth Guildhall and Poole Art Centre. 

I digress to drop a few names; sorry 'bout that.  My point was, I took out a year from working to mess around with a little PC-based project studio which comprised: Pentium PC, Event Layla HD recorder, Spirit Folio SX desk, Alesis 3630 compressor, cheapo multi-effects unit, a Samson amp, an AKAI S5000 sampler and an Novation SuperNOVA II synth, Cubase VST and oodles of plug-ins.  I spent a happy 12-months knocking out tunes that no one would ever hear but that pleased me no end.

Nowadays I don't do too much of that [in fact, I flogged the Novation a few years back]  BUT... I do have one tune left which is included on the TRAX page.  Judge for yourself whether or not the world is better-off now that I have stopped making music.

Recently I have begun [in a small way] to offer my services in this regard.  I guess this site will give you an idea of my abilities.  Although to be fair, tiscali personal web space doesn't support much in the way of widgets... not even a hit counter!  I have a couple of voluntary jobs in hand, as they are completed I'll add there addresses you can check them out.