Short maker’s biography
I was born in Malta in 1962 of English parents, the youngest of four children. My family moved back to England in 1965 and settled in Somerset where I grew up in a musical and artistic atmosphere. My father ran a provincial theatre from 1965 to 1974 and I was fortunate as a young child to experience many theatre visits to see classical concerts, jazz and folk gigs, operas, ballets, puppet theatre, plays, pantomimes and cinema nights. This artistic stimulation made a powerful impression on me as I grew up. I loved music and it was natural to want to play musical instruments too – I played brass instruments and sang in choirs throughout my youth. As a 19 year old I picked up a classical guitar for the first time, fell in love with it and started teaching myself to play, beginning a life-long attachment to the instrument.
While attending art schools in Reigate, Surrey and London from 1983 -1986 I studied a number of arts and crafts including the manuscript crafts of calligraphy and illumination, letter carving, stone carving and sculpture. Here I discovered and developed my natural inclination and ability for fine craft work. After art school I supported myself with painting and decoratoring while developing my fine art painting skills and later worked several years for a decorative artist specialising in trompe l’oeil, murals and painted special effects in oils. This experience converted me to that medium for use in my own paintings.
In London during 1993 I built my first guitar (which is still being played by my eldest daughter, who is the same age as the guitar). I moved to Lewes, East Sussex in 1995 and from then on have been making professionally for a wide range of players – professionals, teachers, semi-pros, students, amateurs, enthusiasts and collectors. Most of my business has come from within the UK and Eire, and the rest from Europe, the USA, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Australia.
In addition to guitar making, in recent years I have turned my attention to violin making and restoration, producing a couple of instruments in between guitar work between 2014 and 2017- the first was a copy of Stradivarius’ ‘Titian’ made in 1715, the second , a copy of Nicolo Amati’s 1649 ‘Alard’ violin. My current bowed instrument making project is a copy of a viola by the famous C17th/18th Dutch maker Hendrik Jacobs, from the original which is owned by one of the restorers I work with.
In 2019 I moved to Newark, Nottinghamshire to take part in the Advanced Violin Restoration course at Chapel Violins. Currently, I divide my time between guitar making, restoring my collection of violin family instruments, and working with other violin restorers here in Newark.