When it was suggested that I devote a section of my new website to my personal collection of paintings
I was anxious that without context to the outsider my collection would appear disjointed and somewhat randomly put together, this is not the case.

My collection is eclectic but represents not only an evolution in taste but also my unusual career path from a fisherman at Dungeness where I was born, to lighthouse keeper and for 30 years a gallery owner.  My enthusiasm for the sea, after all it has  kept me company  all my life, has never diminished. It has always influenced not only my collecting but also the paintings I now sell as a gallery owner.

Whether a traditional early 19th century marine painting by, say, Arthur Briscoe or William Wyllie or an entirely abstract composition by, say,  Derek Jarman or Padraig MacMiadhachain  each has touched me personally and is cherished equally, they hang side by side in my personal space.

A collection put together over a period of more than 30 years should tell the story of one’s life and mine certainly does.